As speculated, Bp. George Lucas named new Archbishop of Omaha

On Monday I reported that a new archbishop would be appointed to Omaha soon, and then I updated the post saying "Bishop George Lucas of Springfield, IL is rising to the top of my short-list." Today we find out:

The pope has named Springfield, Ill., Bishop George Lucas to be the new archbishop of Omaha, Neb.

The Vatican on Wednesday said Lucas will replace 76-year-old Archbishop Elden Curtiss, who is retiring.

Lucas turns 60 next week and has been Springfield bishop since 1999.

He's a St. Louis native who studied philosophy at Cardinal Glennon College and theology at Kenrick Seminary before receiving his master's degree in history at St. Louis University.

Lucas was ordained as a priest in 1975. (AP)

Bingo! Once again, you saw it on AmP first.

Installation is already set for July 22, according to the Archdiocesan website.

More on Lucas from Vatican Radio, and Whispers. Statistics on the Archdiocese of Omaha:

The Archdiocese of Omaha originally covered all of Nebraska and Wyoming in the Western United States. Today, its territory includes 23 northeast Nebraska counties and an area of 14,051 square miles. The general population of the 23 counties is approximately 889,000 and the Catholic population is about 220,000 people. There are 149 parishes and missions within the Archdiocese.

And for the record, my second guess of Bp. Aquila for this position was incorrect. Win some, lose some. O:-)