He was ordained a priest by then-Bishop Donald W. Wuerl, now the Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, July 1, 1989.
After his ordination, Archbishop Hebda briefly served as Parochial Vicar Pro Tem at Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Elwood City, Penn., before eventually returning to Rome, where he obtained a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1990.
The archbishop then returned to Pittsburgh where he served in various pastoral roles around the diocese until 1996, when he was appointed as an official of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts in Rome. He was named Undersecretary of the Council by St. John Paul II in 2003.
While in Rome, Archbishop Hebda also served as an adjunct spiritual director at the North American College, and was a confessor for the postulants of the Missionaries of Charity and for the sisters in the community who were working at a home for unwed mothers.
On Oct. 7, 2009, Benedict XVI appointed him as bishop the Diocese of Gaylord, and episcopal ordination took place in December of that year. Four years later, on Sept. 24, 2013, Pope Francis named Bishop Hebda as coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Archbishop Hebda's installation Mass as Archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul is scheduled to take place Friday, May 13, on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
In a March 24 statement, Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark said that he as been "both privileged and blessed" to have worked closely with Archbishop Hebda.
"He is a great Priest, and a great Bishop," Archbishop Myers said, adding that Hebda's "tireless, positive approach to dealing with the challenges presented him will be one of the graces that he will share with the people of the Twin Cities."
Archbishop Myers said the faithful of the diocese of Newark are "truly grateful for all that he has done here since 2013, and he will be missed."
At the same time, the archbishop offered prayers that God would continue to bless Archbishop Hebda "as he enters this new chapter in a life of service to the Church as the new Shepherd of this local Church of St. Paul-Minneapolis."
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.