Transfer of the Diocesan Bishop: New Administrator Selected in Orlando

 

Reverend Richard Walsh to serve

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The Diocese of Orlando College of Consultors met on Thursday, June 3 to select a Diocesan Administrator for the Diocese of Orlando. The Diocesan Administrator will serve until a bishop is duly appointed by the pope. In the Diocese of Orlando, the College of Consultors is comprised of 8 priests who were previously appointed by Most Reverend Thomas Wenski. They are Monsignor Patrick Caverly, Monsignor Manuel Fernandez, Reverend Paul Henry, Reverend Sean Heslin, Reverend Robert Hoeffner, Reverend Christopher Hoffmann, Reverend Gregory Parkes, and Reverend Richard Walsh. After deliberation, the Consultors elected Reverend Richard Walsh as the Diocesan Administrator. The appointment is effective immediately with all the rights and responsibilities it entails. “Reverend Richard Walsh is very pastoral, a hardworker, and extremely dedicated to the priesthood,” said Monsignor Caverly, one member of the College of Consultors. “I could not be more pleased with this selection.” Reverend Richard Walsh has served as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Winter Park since August 21, 1985, and chairs the priest personnel board of the Diocese of Orlando. He is also a member of the Diocese of Orlando Presbyteral Council. He was ordained priest on June 16, 1968. His assignments since ordination are as follows: 1968-1972: Associate Pastor of Church of Our Saviour, Cocoa Beach 1969-1972: Part-Time Religious Education Teacher at Melbourne Central Catholic High School 1972-1974: Director of Religious Education, Diocese of Orlando; Part-Time Associate at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Winter Park 1974-1975: Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Daytona Beach 1975-1985: Pastor of Church of Our Saviour, Cocoa Beach 1985-present: Pastor of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Winter Park The Governance of a Diocese Upon Transfer of the Diocesan Bishop When Archbishop Thomas Wenski formally took possession of the Archdiocese of Miami, the diocese from which he has been transferred becomes “vacant” and remains so until a new bishop is appointed by the pope. Within eight days of the diocese becoming vacant, the College of Consultors, which consists of anywhere from six to twelve priests previously appointed by the bishop, is required to meet to elect a diocesan administrator. In the Diocese of Orlando, the College of Consultors consists of eight priests. The diocesan administrator will govern the diocese until a new bishop is named, and has much of the same power as a diocesan bishop with certain exceptions. The selection of a new diocesan bishop is the responsibility of the pope who consults with the Congregation for Bishops at the Vatican, the papal nuncio (the pope’s representative in the United States), and the bishops of the province. There is no time limit for the appointment of a new diocesan bishop. This is completely at the discretion of the pope.

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