Pope Francis has named Father Gerard W. Battersby, 56, vice-rector and dean of formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and Father Robert J. Fisher, 57, pastor of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, as auxiliary bishops of Detroit.
Father Timothy Freyer, 53, episcopal vicar for the Diocese of Orange, California, was named by Pope Francis as an auxiliary bishop of Orange.
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Gerard Battersby was born May 15, 1960. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Wayne State University, Detroit, in 1983; and a master of divinity degree from Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, 1998. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit on May 30, 1998. He received a licentiate in sacred theology in 2008 from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in sacred theology at the Angelicum.
Robert Fisher was born September 24, 1959. He holds a bachelor of science in management from the University of Detroit, 1983. He pursued philosophy studies (1986-1987) and earned a master of divinity degree from Sacred Heart Major Seminary, 1992; he pursued theology studies at St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan, 1987-1988. He was ordained a priest on June 27, 1992.
Timothy Freyer was born October 13, 1963, in Los Angeles, California. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from St. John Seminary College, Camarillo, California, 1981-1985, where he also continued seminary studies, 1985-1989. He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1989.
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The Archdiocese of Detroit comprises 3,901 square miles in the state of Michigan. It has a total population of 4,260,234 people of which 1,159,688, or 27 percent, are Catholic. The archbishop of Detroit since 2009 is Archbishop Allen Vigneron. The archdiocese has two other active auxiliary bishops and three retired ones.
The Diocese of Orange comprises 782 square miles in the state of California. It has a total population of 3,145,515 people of which 1,346,540, or 43 percent, are Catholic. The bishop of Orange since 2012 is Bishop Kevin Vann. The diocese has two retired bishops.
