Pope Francis Names New Auxiliary Bishops of Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has appointed the Rev. Joseph Coffey and Rev. William Muhm as Auxiliary Bishops of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

The appointments were publicized today in Washington, DC, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

Rev. Coffey is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and currently serves as a Chaplain and Captain in the United States Navy. Rev. Muhm is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and up until now, served as Administrator of Most Precious Blood Parish in Walden, NY.

Father Coffey was born May 31, 1960 in Minnesota. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from LaSalle University, Philadelphia (1982), and spent one semester at the Sorbonne, Paris. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1995. He was ordained a priest on May 18, 1996. In 2002, Rev. Coffey received a Master Administration in Moral Theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia in 2002. For one year, after university and before seminary, Rev. Coffey was an auto salesman in Europe, selling cars to American serviceman in Germany and Belgium.

Assignments after ordination include: Parochial Vicar at St. Katherine of Siena Parish, Philadelphia Spiritual, 1996-2001. From 1997 to 2001, Rev. Coffey was the Director of the Legion of Mary (Holy Family Curia) Military Chaplain. During this time, he was assigned to the United States Naval Reserve (1998-2001); Chaplain, Department of AIDS Ministry (1999-2001); Board Member, Archdiocesan Council of Priests (2000-2001). Since 2001 to present, he has been U.S. Navy Chaplain and a Recruiter for the Chaplain Corps.

Father Coffey’s Naval assignments have included: Chaplain to Combat Assault Battalion of the Marine Corps, Okinawa, Japan; MAG-39 at Camp Pendleton, CA; Coast Guard Recruit Training center in Cape May, NJ; Chaplain Recruiter for U.S. Navy; Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego; Coast Guard recruit center in Cape May and deployments with both the Marines and Navy, including to Afghanistan.

Father Coffey received the Distinguished Service Award (Chaplain of the Year) in 2004 from the Military Chaplains Association.

 Rev. William J. Muhm was born June 27, 1957, in Billings, Montana. He was ordained a priest on May 30, 1995 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York by Cardinal John O’Connor.

Father Muhm attended Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, (1977); Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, (1980) and then he graduated in 1995 from St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, NY (STB, Master Divinity). He served in the Navy for some time before entering the seminary.

 Assignments after ordination include: Parochial Vicar at St. Ann Parish, Ossining, NY, (1995-1996); Parochial Vicar at Holy Family Parish, Staten Island, NY (1996-1998), and since 1998 to present, he has been Chaplain and Captain in the United States Navy.

Rev. Muhm’s assignments as U.S. Navy Chaplain have included: 2008-2009: Deployment with 1stMarine Regiment, RCT 1, Anbar Prov., Iraq. Since 2009 to 2012, he was Catholic Chaplain at U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD and from 2012 to 2018 he served at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC. He voluntary managed the Navy priests’ retreat the last several years and was on sabbatical June – November 2018.  From November 2018 to present, he has served as Administrator of Most Precious Blood Parish, Walden, NY.

Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., is the current Archbishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services serves U.S. Catholics of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Department of veterans Affairs and those in Government Service outside the USA.  It was created by Pope John Paul II to provide the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the United States Armed Forces. This includes more than 220 installations in 29 countries, patients in 153 V.A. Medical Centers, and federal employees serving outside the boundaries of the USA in 134 countries. Numerically, the AMS is responsible for more than 1.8 million men, women, and children. 

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Keywords: Bishops appointments, Pope Francis, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, Rev. Joseph Coffey, Rev. William Muhm, Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA,  Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D.

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