The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of Richmond, VA, Bishop Barry C. Knestout, currently titular bishop of Leavenworth and auxiliary of Washington.
Cardinal Donald Wurhl, Archbishop of Washington, said:
“Pope Francis’ appointment of Bishop Barry Knestout as Bishop of Richmond is good
news and reason for us to rejoice with the Diocese of Richmond. Bishop Knestout carries with
him the affection, respect, and admiration of all of us with whom he so generously gave his time
and efforts.»
Bishop Barry C. Knestout
Bishop Barry C. Knestout was born in 1962 in Cheverly, Maryland. One of nine children, he grew up in Bowie, Maryland, where he attended both Catholic and public schools. He received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Maryland in December 1984. He began his seminary studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1985 and was ordained a priest in June 1989.
After ordination, Bishop Knestout served as a parochial vicar at two parishes, St. Bartholomew in Bethesda (1989-1993) and St. Peter in Waldorf (1993-1994) before being named priest-secretary to Cardinal James A. Hickey in 1994. He continued in that role until the cardinal’s death in 2004, also serving as priest-secretary to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick in 2001 and from 2003 to 2004.
Named a Monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1999, Bishop Knestout was executive director of the Office of Youth Ministry/CYO from 2001-2003 and became pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring in 2004. In October 2006, Cardinal Donald Wuerl appointed then Monsignor Knestout Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns. Less than two years later, in April 2007, he was named Moderator of the Curia and Vicar for Administration. In this role, as the “chief of staff” for the archdiocese’s central offices, he assists Cardinal Wuerl in managing and overseeing administrative affairs.
He is a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He serves on the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council, the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors. In addition, he has been a member of the Archdiocesan Building Commission since 1991 and the Archdiocesan Sacred Arts Commission since 1994. He is a member of the Administrative Board of the Maryland Catholic Conference and the Episcopal Moderator of the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association. He also serves as the Region IV representative on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, as well as the episcopal liaison to the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference.
Pope Benedict XVI named him auxiliary bishop of Washington and titular bishop of Leavenworth on November 18, 2008. He was ordained a bishop by then-Archbishop Donald Wuerl on December 29, 2008, with Bishop Francisco González Valer, S.F., and Bishop Martin David Holley as co-consecrators.
JF
