Pope Names Brooklyn Priest As Bishop Of Albany, New York; Names Rockville Centre, New York Priest As Auxiliary Bishop Of Rockville Centre (Source USCCB)
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Howard James Hubbard, 75, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Albany, New York, and named Brooklyn, New York priest, Msgr. Edward Bernard Scharfenberger, 65, to succeed him. The pope also named Msgr. Andrzej Zglejszewski, 52, to be auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre, New York, where he has been co-chancellor and Director of the Office of Worship.
He was ordained a priest for the Brooklyn Diocese in 1973. Assignments after ordination included St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, Maspeth, New York, 1973; St. Ephrem Parish, Brooklyn, 1973; study at Academia Alfonsiana, Rome,1976; study at Catholic University, Washington, 1978; Judicial Vicar, for diocesan tribunal, 1981; pastor, St. Mathias Parish, Ridgewood, New York, 2002; Judicial Vicar, diocesan tribunal, 1993; Promoter of Justice, diocesan tribunal, 2007; Vicar for Strategic Planning, 2009-present; and Vicar for Queens area of Brooklyn Diocese, 2013-present. He was named a monsignor in 1995.
Bishop Hubbard was named bishop of Albany in 1977, when he was 38-years-old, making him the youngest bishop in the nation at that time. At the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops he served on the Committee for International Justice and Peace, of which he was chairman; and the Subcommittees on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Church in Africa. He also served on other national bishops’ committees, including the Committees on Human Values, Marriage and the Family, Communication, Laity and North American College. Pope John Paul II named him a member of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Non-Believers.
The Albany Diocese includes 14 counties across 10,419 square miles. It has a population of 1,392,464 people, of whom 330,000, or 24 percent, are Catholic.
Bishop-elect Zglejszewski was born December 18, 1961 in Bialystok, Poland. He holds a master of arts degree from Immaculate Conception Seminary in Douglaston, New York, and pursued advanced studies in theology at Catholic University and Fordham.
He was ordained for the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 1990 and named a monsignor in 2010.
Assignments after ordination include associate pastor, St. Christopher Parish, Baldwin, New York, 1991-1995; associate pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, West Hempstead, New York, 1995-2002; associate pastor, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Massapequa, New York, 2002-2007 and director of the diocesan worship office, 2007 to the present. He also has been adjunct professor at Immaculate Conception Seminary.
A great posting. I am very happy that Pope Francis has recognized the international flavor of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. I am equally impressed by the Auxiliary’s command of seven different languages. Reviewing his assignments it is interesting that Francis continues to make his mark by picking “pastors”, “shepherds”, and “priests” as leaders in the Church rather than “politicians.” May the Good Lord bless him in his new apostolate in the Church.