4/10/08: Appointmentgeddon? (of new bishops, that is)

Rocco says to expect the "biggest blitz of [bishop] appointments" the Catholic Church has seen "in years."

... tomorrow.

What dioceses are up for grabs?

These dioceses currently have no bishop (with date left vacant):

• Little Rock AR - 2006 May
• Virgin Islands (US) - 2007 Jan
• Des Moines IA - 2007 Apr
• New Ulm MN - 2007 Apr
• Knoxville TN - 2007 Jun
• Green Bay - 2007 Jul
• Charleston SC - 2007 Aug
• Juneau AK - 2007 Nov
• Biloxi MS - 2008 Apr

These dioceses currently have a bishop serving past his mandatory age of retirement (75):

• Detroit MI - 2005 Mar (Abp. Adam Maida)
• New York NY - 2007 Apr (Abp. Edward Egan)
• Omaha NE - 2007 Jun
• Syracuse NY - 2007 Jul
• Kalamazoo MI - 2007 Jul
• Fort Wayne-South Bend IN - 2007 Aug
• New Orleans LA - 2007 Dec
• Wilmington DE - 2008 Jan
• Allentown PA - 2008 Mar
• Pueblo CO -2008 Mar

Of the 19 dioceses listed, Detroit and Ft. Wayne-S. Bend are the most likely to see appointments, I'd say.

So, in these final hours before the Vatican bollettino goes out - any predictions or advanced rumblings?

Can anyone remember the most number of U.S. bishops appointed on a single day in recent history?

He might.

update: Michael Dubruiel predicts four new bishops, and singles out Charleston SC.

Hmm, I wonder about the fourth....?

update 2: Rocco is now reporting bishops appointed to Little Rock & Des Moines (1st & 3rd longest vacant, respectively) and auxiliaries to Denver, San Antonio and San Francisco.

Which, as he says, makes for five appointments - but only two immediate diocese fillings.

But there might be more... stay tuned. Tomorrow morning by 7:30AM I should have an update.

update 3: yep, it happened:

• Bishop Richard Pates, 65, heretofore auxiliary of St Paul and Minneapolis, as bishop of Des Moines;
  
• Fr Anthony Taylor, 53, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and vicar for Ministries in the archdiocese of Oklahoma City, as bishop of Little Rock;
  
• Msgr James D. Conley, 53, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Wichita (and former official of the Congregation for Bishops) as auxiliary to Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. of Denver;
  
• Fr William Justice, 65, vicar for Clergy of the archdiocese of San Francisco, as auxiliary to San Fran Archbishop George Niederauer;
  
• Fr Oscar Cantu, 41, pastor of Holy Name Parish in Houston, as auxiliary to Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio

More links to follow, but here are the names for now.

update 4: I've linked the names to their C-H pages. Whispers has coverage-o-rama.