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| Announcement | Bishop Kmiec's Remarks | Installation Details |
Pope John Paul II has named the Most Reverend Edward U. Kmiec as the 13th bishop of Buffalo.
A priest for 42 years, Bishop Kmiec has been Bishop of Nashville, Tennessee, since December 1992. He will replace Archbishop Henry J. Mansell who was installed last December as the Archbishop of Hartford.
Upon learning of his appointment, Bishop Kmiec said, "I am very grateful to the Holy Father for the confidence and trust shown by virtue of His Holiness choosing me to serve as shepherd of the Diocese of Buffalo. With hope and trust in God, I look forward to serving this faith community and sharing with them the Apostolic work of building God's kingdom in this vineyard of the Church."
A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Bishop Kmiec, 68, arrived in Buffalo Wednesday afternoon. He will meet with many of the priests, men and women religious and laity of the Diocese of Buffalo Thursday and Friday.
Bishop Kmiec was born in Trenton, New Jersey (June 4, 1936), the fifth of five children born to Thecla Czupta Kmiec and John Kmiec. His parents immigrated to the United States from Poland before the start of World War I. All of the Kmiec children, the bishop's sister Helen and brothers Joseph, John and Henry, were born in the United States.
He attended St. Hedwig's parochial school and Trenton Catholic Boys High School, both in Trenton, St. Charles' College in Catonsville, Maryland, and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore where he received his B.A. degree in 1958. Bishop Kmiec received a degree in theological studies from the Gregorian University in Rome.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1961, he served as an associate pastor of St. Rose Parish in Belmar, New Jersey. In 1965, he was appointed Secretary and Master of Ceremonies to Bishop George W. Ahr in the Diocese of Trenton, a position he held through 1980. Bishop Kmiec served in a number of capacities in his home diocese, including Moderator of the Curia, Vicar General, Vice-Chancellor, the Diocesan Priests' Council, the Diocesan Budget Committee and the Diocesan Board of Consultors.
Bishop Kmiec was named Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope John Paul II in 1977. On November 3, 1982, he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton. Ten years later, the Pope appointed him the 10th Bishop of Nashville.
Bishop Edward M. Grosz, diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Buffalo, said, "I am truly elated by the appointment of Bishop Edward Kmiec by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo.
"I have known Bishop Kmiec for 14 years. As a brother bishop, he brings with him many outstanding leadership qualities as well as a tremendous love for the people of God. I look forward to working closely with him."
Bishop Kmiec has served on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relations and the Secretariat for Catholic-Orthodox Relations. Among serving on several other committees of the USCCB, the bishop also served as chairman of the Committee on the Permanent Diaconate and the Committee on the Laity. He currently serves on the Roman Catholic and Polish National Catholic Church Dialogue. He is also a member of the Canon Law Society of America, the Catholic League for religious assistance to Poland and the American Center for Polish Culture.
Bishop Kmiec is a Fourth degree Knight of Columbus and Knight Commander of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. A graduate of the North American College in Rome, the bishop is one of the regional representatives to the Board of Governors of the seminary.
The date for Bishop Kmiec's installation has not been set, but it is expected he will be installed as the next Bishop of Buffalo within the next few months.
Dear People of God of the Diocese of Buffalo, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious, and Laity, Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Borrowing from the salutation of St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans, with one word emended, I greet you today: To all in Buffalo, beloved of God and called to holiness, grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Early last week, for the third time in my priestly life, I received a call from the Papal Nuncio, the Holy Father's representative in the United States, conveying a special personal message of invitation from the Holy Father to ministry as a bishop. As it was 22 years ago for service as Auxiliary Bishop in my home Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, and 12 years ago for service as the Bishop of Nashville in Tennessee, the phraseology was similar: "I have good news for you. The Holy Father has it in mind to appoint you bishop of ......." This time the destination was to serve the Church of the Diocese of Buffalo. My reaction was: Surprise, Oh my God! WOW!
To be sure, it is "good news", a humbling honor to be so considered for new ministry designated by the Holy Father himself to be bishop of one of the foremost dioceses of our country. I can tell you, it comes along with quite an adrenaline rush. This is one of the rare defining moments in the life of a Bishop.
The next sentence by the Nuncio is a question: "Do you accept?" From the day of my ordination I had determined for myself I would serve wherever my bishop asked me, no matter whatever reservations I might have felt. I perceived it as a matter of providence and will of God, and however mysterious, a work of the Holy Spirit.
So how much more when the "bishop" calling one to service is the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ on earth, the spiritual leader of the Universal Church? Of course, the answer had to be "yes", though with a bit of time for prayer and reflection beforehand, and maybe a touch of apprehension too.
And thus I come to you all of the Diocese of Buffalo, not as a matter of personal choice or ambition, but simply as one who has been sent, a missionary on a mission, a disciple who as our Church describes as a "successor of the apostles", to serve God, this local Church, and especially to serve all of you, in the very spirit of our Lord, who said: "I have come not to be served, but to serve. Do likewise." I feel very honored.
When one is constituted in the office of bishop, he crafts a coat of arms and chooses a motto. My motto is "Charity and Service" - to love and to serve - chosen to be the ideal of my ministry as bishop. On those terms, I come to you of the Church of Buffalo, to do what a bishop is to do, to teach, to lead, to sanctify, but all in spirit of love and humble service, a servant shepherd to journey with you in faith and fidelity, in the words of St. Augustine, to be with you and for you.
While I come to you bearing 42 years of ordained ministry as priest and bishop, it is with a need to learn from you all and thence work together in cooperation and collaboration. That need is somewhat acute, as this is the first time I have been in Buffalo. I have always planned to visit Niagara Falls, but not quite under these circumstances. The pastoral situation of Nashville from whence I come and Buffalo are very divergent. Nashville is a mission diocese, where the Catholics are the minority of the general population, about 4%. Buffalo, on the other hand, is 40% Catholic, if I read the Catholic Directory correctly. It leads me to presume that there is a richness of human and spiritual resources, much giftedness, talent, and holiness. With you, I hope that we can together continue to develop that richness for the glory of God and the good of us all.
I also pray and ask of you to be patient and understanding of me as I go through my learning curve. I do not mean that to imply inertia, but that as a Latin saying goes, "Festina lente", translated, "Hurry up, but go gently." Over time, I hope to get to know all I can about the Diocese of Buffalo, to get to know you and all about you, to get to know the scope of our pastoral activities and aspirations, all to benefit from your history and with prudent discretion go on to new levels in building God's kingdom in our midst.
I am pleased and privileged to succeed your former Shepherd, Bishop Henry Mansell, now Archbishop of Hartford, and to build on the fruits of his pastoral labors here in Buffalo. I have known Bishop Mansell since seminary days over 40 years ago at the North American College in Rome. We could never dream that somehow in the future our pastoral paths would somehow intersect through Buffalo.
I also want to thank now-Bishop Robert Cunningham and Bishop Edward Grosz for their work as administrators of the diocese during the vacancy period. During these transition months and beyond I look forward to working with Bishop Grosz and the excellent administrative staff.
As almost everywhere in our country, our dioceses are constituted with a great diversity of peoples, and I presume that holds true for Buffalo. We merge into a people of diverse races, ethnicity, languages, cultures, and customs, the proverbial melting pot of America. I myself fit into that pattern as one of Polish ethnicity, born in the United States of immigrant parents. I understand there is a sizable Polish American community here in Buffalo, and I look forward to our acquaintance and interaction. But I look forward to that similarly with all the various constituent groups of our diocesan community. I reiterate, my mission is to serve all as I have been sent here to serve all. And in our diversity, I hope we identify ourselves in our fundamental communality, united as children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thus, I look forward eagerly and enthusiastically, to shortly begin serving all of you, clergy, religious, laity, everyone, in my ministry, as I said before, with you and for you. I am told that I am a people person, and I believe that I am. I love people and love being in their midst. This has been an asset in the past and I hope to keep it so.
Meanwhile, please pray for me, as I have already begun praying for you. Even yesterday, as the wheels of the plane were touching down, I prayed a short prayer asking God to bless our ministry and work together. I pledge to do my best for you with all that is in me. And united as one, with God as our Father, Jesus Christ as our Brother, the Holy Spirit as our Enlightenment, and Mary as our Mother, may we go on to do great things, in the closing words of Psalm 90: "May the Divine favor be upon us; give success to the work of our hands, give success to the work of our hands."
Amen. God be praised!
Bishop Edward U. Kmiec will be installed as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo at a special Mass on Thursday, October 28, 2004, at St. Joseph's Cathedral in downtown Buffalo.
Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop of New York, and Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, will preside at the Mass that will begin at 2:30 p.m.
Bishop Kmiec will arrive at Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Monday, October 25. Upon his arrival, Bishop Kmiec will meet with members of the local media. Appointed the 13th bishop of Buffalo by Pope John Paul II on August 12, Bishop Kmiec has several events scheduled during his first week in the eight county Diocese of Buffalo.
On Wednesday, October 27, at 5 p.m., Bishop Kmiec will preside over "Evening Prayer" for priests of the diocese. This service will be held at St. Louis Church in downtown Buffalo. It is closed to the public and the secular media.
On Thursday, October 28 at 11 a.m., Bishop Kmiec will hold a news conference in the Huron Room of the Adam's Mark Hotel, 120 Church Street, in downtown Buffalo.
At 2:30 p.m. on October 28, Bishop Kmiec will be installed as the bishop of Buffalo at St. Joseph's Cathedral, 50 Franklin Street, in downtown Buffalo. Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop of New York, and Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, papal nuncio to the United States, will preside. The procession will begin at 2:00 p.m. In all, 40 archbishops and bishops, including the former bishop of Buffalo, Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, will concelebrate the Mass.
The installation Mass is a ticketed event. Because of limited seating, guests will need to have their tickets and a photo identification in order to be admitted to the cathedral. Daybreak TV Productions of the Diocese of Buffalo and WIVB-TV will produce live television coverage of the installation Mass. It will air on WIVB's sister station, WNLO-TV (Channel 23). Live streaming video will be available on two Web sites: www.wivb.com and www.wnlo.com. WKBW-TV and WGRZ-TV are also expected to air the installation Mass.
The Mass will also air live on Catholic radio in Buffalo, WLOF (101.7FM).
Following the installation, Bishop Kmiec will host a reception at the Adam's Mark Hotel for those who attended the installation.
On Friday, October 29 at 5 p.m., Bishop Kmiec will celebrate Mass for the men and women religious of the Diocese of Buffalo at St. Amelia Church, 2999 Eggert Road in the Town of Tonawanda.
On Saturday, November 6 at 11:30 a.m., Bishop Kmiec will celebrate Mass at Christ the King Seminary, 711 Knox Road in East Aurora, for all deacons and their wives, candidates in formation and their wives, and the seminary community.
"There's a big pastoral job to be done in Buffalo," Bishop Kmiec said, "and I very much wish to work with the people. My first impression is of their tremendous enthusiasm. It seems to me that there is a great deal of cooperation. People seem to want to do good things, to grow in faith and to make the Church and their own faith flourish."
In the coming weeks and months, Bishop Kmiec has plans for extensive travel as he makes his way throughout the eight county diocese, meeting the faithful, celebrating Mass and listening to the hopes and concerns of the more than 700,000 Catholics who make up the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.
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