Pope Appoints NJ Catholic Leader As New Archbishop In Minneapolis

Newark, NJ – Newark’s Catholic worshippers will soon bid farewell to Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda.

According to a Thursday news release from the Archdiocese of Newark, Pope Francis has formally announced Hebda’s appointment as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Hebda has been serving as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese since June 15, 2015. During that time, he has also been serving the Archdiocese of Newark as Coadjutor Archbishop, and was scheduled to replace Archbishop John J. Myers when he is expected to retire in July.

Upon being told of his appointment, Archbishop Hebda said he was “humbled by this expression of Pope Francis’ confidence and honored to serve this Archdiocese with its rich history and its long tradition of extraordinary priests, zealous religious and empowered laity, all working to put their faith into action.”

“The Pope and the Holy Spirit evidently had different plans for me than I had anticipated,” Hebda stated in a letter to parishioners.

In addition to serving the Archdioceses of Newark and Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Hebda was Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan and has served at the Vatican and in parishes in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Archbishop Hebda’s Installation Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, at the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

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