Pope Francis has appointed two auxiliary bishops to the Archdiocese of New York, and accepted the resignation of Bishop John J. Jenik.
According to today’s Holy See Press Office ordinary bulletin, Oct. 10, 2019, it was written that the Holy Father “accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of New York, United States of America, presented by Bishop John J. Jenik, and appointed as its auxiliaries Msgr. Edmund J. Whalen of the clergy of the same archdiocese, vicar for the clergy, and Msgr. Gerardo G. Colacicco, of the clergy of the same archdiocese, currently parish priest of the Saint Joseph-Immaculate Conception Parish in Millbrook.”
Bishop-elect Whalen, who also speaks Italian, Spanish and French, was assigned the Titular See of Cemeriniano. Whereas Bishop-elect Colacicco, who also knows Italian and Spanish, was assigned the Titular See of Erdonia.
Born on July 6, 1958 on Staten Island, New York, Edmund J. Whalen later would attend the Blessed Sacrament School and Monsignor Farrell High School. He entered the seminary and obtained his Baccalaureate at Cathedral College in Douglaston, New York.
Later, he carried out his ecclesiastical studies at the Pontifical North American College and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, obtaining a licentiate in moral theology from the Higher Institute of Moral Theology, the Alphonsian Academy, and subsequently a doctorate. On June 23, 1984, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York.
Since ordination, he held the following positions: parish vicar of the Resurrection parish in Rye , teacher at the Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, personal secretary to the archbishop of New York, Cardinal John J. O’Connor, professor and vice-rector of Saint Joseph’s Major Seminary in Yonkers, rector of the minor seminary of the Saint John Neumann Residence in the Bronx, parish priest of the Saint Benedict parish in the Bronx and of the Saint Joseph – Saint Thomas parish at Staten Island, and dean of the Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island. Since January 2019, he has served as vicar for the clergy of the Archdiocese of New York.
In 1999, both he and Bishop-elect Colacicco were appointed as Prelates of Honor.
Born on Sept. 19, 1955 in Poughkeepsie, New York, Gerardo J. Colacicco later obtained his baccalaureate at the Marist College in Poughkeepsie. He completed his ecclesiastical studies at Saint Joseph’s Major Seminary in Yonkers. Subsequently, he obtained a licentiate in canon law from the University of Saint Thomas, the Angelicum, in Rome.
On Nov. 6, 1982, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese. Since ordination, he has held the following positions: parish vicar of the Good Shepherd parish in Rhinebeck, the Our Lady of Fatima parish in Scarsdale, and the Saint Denis-Saint Columba parish in Hopewell Junction; personal secretary to the archbishop of New York, Cardinal John J. O’Connor; member of the Faculty and director of pastoral formation at Saint Joseph’s Archdiocesan Seminary in Yonkers, pastor of the Sacred Heart parish in Newburgh and of the Saint Columba parish in Hopewell Junction; administrator of the Saint Joseph parish in Millbrook; defender of the bond and judge of the Metropolitan Court. Since 2015, he has served as parish priest of the Saint Joseph-Immaculate Conception parish in Millbrook.
