WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 4, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Pope Benedict XVI has named Msgr. Joseph E. Strickland, vicar general of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, as bishop of Tyler.
The appointment was publicized in Washington on Saturday by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop-elect Strickland succeeds Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J., who was named bishop of the Diocese of Mayaguez in Puerto Rico last year. Bishop Corrada served as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese until this appointment.
Born in Fredericksburg, Texas, Bishop-elect Strickland was ordained a priest in 1985 for the diocese of Dallas. The diocese of Tyler was created a year after his ordination to the priesthood.
In 1995, he was named a prelate of honor with the title monsignor and in 2010, he was appointed vicar general of the Tyler diocese.
