Philadelphia auxiliary appointed as Bishop of Harrisburg

Philadelphia, Pa., Jun 22, 2010 / 08:34 am

On Tuesday morning, Pope Benedict XVI appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia to become the 10th Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Bishop Joseph Patrick McFadden, 63, will be installed in his new position on August 18 at St. Patrick's Cathedral. His appointment will fill the seat that became vacant in January 2010 when Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades was named Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind.

According to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Bishop McFadden was born in 1947.  A Philadelphia native, he played basketball and was valedictorian of his high school class.

He then attended St. Joseph University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science.  After spending a few years teaching, he entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. 

In 1981, he was ordained a priest for the archdiocese and served as parochial vicar before being appointed administrative secretary to Cardinal John Krol, who was Archbishop of Philadelphia at the time.

In 1993, Bishop McFadden was chosen as the first president of Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Pa.  After serving for three years as a parish pastor, he became an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 2004.

Bishop McFadden's new diocese is comprised of 248,000 Catholics, 179 priests and 394 religious.