Vatican City, Jan 31, 2019 / 07:21 am
Pope Francis accepted the retirement of Bishop Frederick Campbell of Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, appointing Bishop Robert J. Brennan, auxiliary of Rockville Centre, to lead the diocese.
"I am already praying fervently for the Church of Columbus every day," Bishop Brennan said in a statement Jan. 31. "I look forward to walking the journey with you as your pastor sharing the 'Joy of the Gospel' and the 'Splendor of Truth.'"
Born in the Bronx, Brennan, 56, is a lifelong New Yorker. He is the oldest of five children, and was raised in Lindenhurst. Brennan studied at Saint John the Baptist Diocesan High School, and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from Saint John's University in Queens.
After his priestly ordination in 1989 in Huntington, New York, Brennan served as a parish priest, bishop's secretary, and vicar general for the Diocese of Rockville Centre before being made auxiliary bishop for the diocese in 2012. He is bilingual in English and Spanish, and frequently celebrates Mass in Spanish, including in the Nassau County Correctional Facility.