Ordination December 20, 1961 Denomination Roman Catholic Predecessor Henry J. Mansell | Nationality American Name Edward Kmiec Consecration November 3, 1982 | |
In office October 28, 2004–May 29, 2012 Education St. Mary's Seminary and University Previous post Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville | ||
Bishop edward kmiec young adults on young adult ministry
Edward Urban Kmiec ( , born June 4, 1936, Trenton, New Jersey) is a retired Roman Catholic Bishop of Buffalo. Kmiec served as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Trenton from 1982 until his installation as Bishop of Nashville in 1992. He was succeeded in Nashville in 2005 by David Choby.
Contents
- Bishop edward kmiec young adults on young adult ministry
- Bishop Kmiec announces his resignation
- Early religious life
- Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton New Jersey
- Bishop of Nashville Tennessee
- Bishop of Buffalo New York
- Retirement
- References
Bishop Kmiec announces his resignation
Early religious life
At age 25, Kmiec was ordained a priest in Trenton, New Jersey on December 20, 1961.
Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey
Kmiec served as Auxiliary Bishop in Trenton, New Jersey for 10 years. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in Trenton on August 26, 1982, and was named Titular Bishop of Simidicca on the same date.
Bishop of Nashville, Tennessee
Kmiec was Bishop of Nashville, Tennessee for 13 years. He was appointed Bishop on October 13, 1992, and installed on December 3, 1992.
Bishop of Buffalo, New York
On August 12, 2004, Kmiec was appointed the Bishop of Buffalo; he was installed on October 28, 2004.
In 2007, Kmiec announced that the Diocese of Buffalo had a balanced budget, after spending cuts reduced a $2.1 million deficit from the previous year.
In 2006, it was reported in Buffalo Business First that the previous leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, Bishop Henry J. Mansell, had not been forthright with the public or his superiors about the debt experienced within the Diocese. One individual was quoted in the same Buffalo Business First article, stating that Mansell was unable to see the reality of the situation. While Mansell did not oversee any church closures during his leadership in Buffalo, he lauded praises and support for the Diocese when it was actually in decline. Kmiec then took on the role as Bishop, faced with more than $3 million in debt, a declining Catholic population, and decreased viability for keeping many schools and churches open.
Kmiec was heavily criticized for downsizing the diocese from 274 parishes and missions in 2005 to 170 parishes and missions in 2011. He also oversaw the closures of 25 elementary schools. Some Catholics maintain the church closings caused irreparable harm to the diocese.
Increasing the number of vocations to the priesthood in the Buffalo Diocese remains a challenge. The Diocese under Kmiec ordained only 18 priests from 2004 to 2011.
Retirement
On May 29, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Kmiec's resignation due to his having surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 75. Bishop Richard Joseph Malone from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine was appointed as Kmiec's successor. Malone was installed at St. Joseph Cathedral on August 10, 2012.
Kmiec was Bishop of Buffalo for eight years. He is currently Bishop Emeritus of Buffalo, having been a priest for more than 52 years.