Saginaw, Mich., Feb 2, 2018 / 17:00 pm
Bishop Joseph Cistone of Saginaw, Michigan has asked for prayers and some leeway in his schedule following a recent lung cancer diagnosis.
In a letter to his priests and diocesan leaders yesterday, Bishop Saginaw said his diagnosis came after a series of tests, following a persistent cough and labored breathing which "persisted since September."
"Over the past two months, I have undergone a series of tests and have now learned that I have lung cancer," he said. "The good news is that, since I have never been a smoker, it is a form of lung cancer which is treatable and potentially curable," he noted.
Bishop Cistone is the sixth bishop of the Saginaw diocese, and was appointed there in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. Originally from Pennsylvania, Cistone was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1975, where he also served as auxiliary bishop from 2004-2009.