San Francisco, Calif., Jul 6, 2010 / 08:29 am
The Vatican announced on Tuesday that the Holy Father appointed a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A native Californian, Bishop-elect Robert W. McElroy will assist Archbishop George Niederauer in serving the region's 437,000 Catholics.
A native of San Francisco, Bishop-elect McElroy was born in 1954 and eventually moved to the East Coast, earning a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University. After returning to California to earn a Master's degree in History from Stanford University, the bishop-elect attended St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park. He was ordained a priest in the San Francisco Archdiocese in 1979 and named a monsignor in 1996.
In addition to serving in local parishes, Bishop-elect McElroy attended Gregorian University in Rome, earning a doctorate in Sacred Theology.
Earlier today, Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco praised the new auxiliary bishop in a statement, expressing gratitude at his appointment.