After being ordained a priest June 23, 2001, and serving in various pastoral assignments Msgr. Lopes went on to obtain both licentiate and doctoral degrees in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Since Sept. 1, 2005, the bishop-elect has served as an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and has also taught theology at the Gregorian University. He was named a monsignor in 2010.
Msgr. Lopes' ordination to the episcopate is scheduled to take place Feb. 2, 2016, in Houston.
Though Msgr. Steenson's retirement is effective immediately, he will serve as the Ordinariate's administrator until Lopes officially takes canonical possession in February.
A Nov. 24 press release from the Ordinariate explained that with bishop-elect Lopes' appointment, Pope Francis "affirms and amplifies Pope Benedict's vision for Christian unity, in which diverse expressions of one faith are joined together in the Church."
"By naming Bishop-elect Lopes, the Pope has confirmed that the Ordinariate is a permanent, enduring part of the Catholic Church, like any other diocese – one that is now given a bishop so that it may deepen its contribution to the life of the Church and the world."
The press released also noted that Msgr. Lopes' appointment falls just five days before the Ordinariate will begin using a new book of liturgical texts titled "Divine Worship: The Missal," which will be used for the celebration of Mass in personal ordinariates throughout the world.
The texts in the missal have been approved by the Vatican and will be used for the first time Nov. 20, 2015, the First Sunday of Advent.
Msgr. Lopes was deeply involved in developing the text, and since 2011 has served as the executive coordinator of the Vatican commission "Anglicanae Traditiones," which produced the new texts.
In the press release, the Ordinariate called the new missal as "a milestone," and praised both Benedict XVI's vision for unity as well as how Pope Francis is concretely implementing it.
Both of these together "demonstrate that unity in faith allows for a vibrant diversity in the expression of that faith. The Ordinariate is a key ecumenical venture for the Catholic Church and a concrete example of this unity in diversity."
The new bishop-elect will be introduced by Msgr. Steenson at a live news conference in Houston at 10:30 a.m. local time inside the Chancery Offices of the Ordinariate.
After celebrating the Mass on the first Sunday of Advent in Houston with the new missal, Msgr. Lopes will return to Rome to finish to finish his work at the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith. He will then then return to Texas at the end of the calendar year.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.