Catholic Diocese of Arlington Welcomes New Bishop

ARLINGTON, VA — The Catholic Diocese of Arlington now has its fourth bishop. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, 59, formally assumed leadership of the Arlington Diocese representing more than 600,000 Catholics on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

Burbidge succeeds Bishop Paul S. Loverde, 76, who stepped down after leading the Diocese since 1999, according to an Arlington Diocese statement.

More than 1,200 people packed the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington to attend the Mass of Installation. Those in attendance included Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Papal Nuncio to the United States; Justin Cardinal Rigali; Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington; Theodore Cardinal McCarrick; and Metropolitan Archbishop William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore.

"“[M]ore than ever in these unsettling times, we are called to imitate the witness of Saint Thomas More, the witness to our faith that we proudly profess," Burbidge said in his Installation homily. "As God’s servants first, we are called to bring the truth and the joy of the Gospel into the public arena, with conviction and, always, in love. We do so as we protect the unborn and the sacredness of life at every stage; as we uphold the dignity of each and every human person without exception; as we protect our religious freedom and lift up the beautiful vocation of marriage and its sanctity, as Jesus taught; and of course, as we reach out in love to the poor and the needy and most vulnerable."

The Diocese of Arlington represents 21 counties and seven cities in central and northern Virginia.

Burbidge had served in Raleigh, N.C. for the past 10 years before agreeing to take the position. He graduated in 1975 from Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Philadelphia, and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1984 after attending St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

You can watch full video of the mass by clicking here.

Photo: Diocese of Raleigh