Bishop Joseph Kurtz comes in first for Louisville

As Rocco rumored on Saturday, Bp. Joseph Kurtz has been appointed to succeed Thomas Kelly as the ninth Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky today.

Rocco adds: "After praying with the priest-consultors of his new charge – a moment reportedly arranged at his own request – the fourth archbishop of Louisville will meet the press in a 10.30am news conference at his pastoral center. He’ll likely receive his winner’s saddle – the metropolitan’s pallium – from the hands of B16 in just over two weeks’ time."

Amy chimes in: "Bishop Kurtz was the second bishop of Knoxville (the diocese was created from the Diocese of Nashville in 1988), having served for almost ten years now. I had never met Bishop Kurtz, but never heard anything but wonderful things about him ... The Diocese of Knoxville seems to have done well under Bishop Kurtz and it will be interesting to see what happens in Louisville under his pastoral care."

The Associated Press gives some statistics:

Kurtz, 60, has served as bishop of the 50,000-member diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., since 1999. Before that, he was a priest for 27 years in the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania.

... The Louisville archdiocese spans 24 counties with more than 200,000 Catholics.

More on Archbishop-elect Kurtz from his biography:

"[Kurtz] attends all meetings of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and serves on four of the council’s committees: Pro-Life, Marriage and Family, Budget and Finance, and Administrative. He is a board member of Catholic Relief Services, the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. Bishop Kurtz was elected chair of the Committee on Marriage and Family for a three-year term that began in 2005. He is a member of the board of governors for the Pontifical North American College in Rome and he serves as episcopal advisor for the Catholic Social Workers National Association."

The Archdiocese of Louisville website has been updated:

• Statement from Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
• Statement from Most Rev. Thomas C. Kelly, O.P.
• Curriculum Vita of Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Backgrounder
• Archdiocesan Fact Sheet

Archbishop-elect Kurtz will be installed on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15th of this year.

From all accounts this is an excellent appointment and Bishop Kurtz has a fine record of service.

Looking at the U.S. diocesan landscape, the appointment of a new Louisville Archbishop came nine months after Thomas Kelly reached the mandatory age for retirement.

There are now 10 dioceses in the U.S. with bishops serving past their retirement age (Detroit & Lansing among them ... Kalamazoo will be added to that list in July). There are 8 dioceses with no bishop currently serving. Knoxville is also now in need of a new bishop appointment.