Robert E Guglielmone

Early life and education

Robert Guglielmone was born in New York City to Frank and Caroline Guglielmone. One of three children, he has two brothers, Nicholas and Tito. He was raised on Long Island and attended St. John's University in Queens, from where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Education. He then taught at Patchogue-Medford High School for five years while also doing his graduate work at New York University.

Ordination and ministry

Guglielmone, feeling a call to the priesthood, entered Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington and earned a Master's in Divinity before being ordained on April 8, 1978. He then served as assistant pastor at St. Martin of Tours Church in Amityville and at St. James Church in Setauket.

In 1986, he was named director of pastoral formation and dean of seminarians at Immaculate Conception Seminary. He became pastor of St. Frances de Chantal Church in Wantagh in 1993, and was raised to the rank of Monsignor in 1996.

In 2003, after a grand jury report on the handling of sexual abuse cases in the Diocese of Rockville Centre sparked public outrage, Bishop William Murphy named Guglielmone to be the diocesan Director of Clergy Personnel. He was later made rector of St. Agnes Cathedral in 2007.

Scouting involvement

Guglielmone is known for his substantial involvement in Scouting. He started his Scouting career as camp chaplain at Onteora Scout Reservation in Livingston Manor, during his time as a seminarian. As a priest, he served as Scout chaplain for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, then for New York State and then as chaplain for the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Guglielmone served an eight-year term as chaplain of the International Catholic Conference on Scouting and the Holy See's global liaison to scouting programs. He received the Silver Beaver Award from Suffolk County Council. Guglielmone is member the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scouts of America's honor society. There, he was inducted as a "Vigil Honor" member, the third and final degree of membership, in 1985. "Vigil Honor" members traditionally receive a name in the Unami language, referred to in the Order as "Lenni Lenape." Guglielmone's "Vigil Name" is "Nekama Auwen Allohumasin Lilenowag An Unt," which was interpreted as "He Who Exemplifies God's Law." He received the Silver Antelope Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 2004. The National Catholic Committee on Scouting recognized Guglielmone with its "Brother Barnabas Founders Award" and in its first class of "Silver Saint George Emblem" recipients in 1998. In 2012, he received the Silver Buffalo Award, the highest award given by the National Council, Boy Scouts of America for distinguished service to youth.

Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina

On January 24, 2009, Guglielmone was appointed the thirteenth Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina, by Pope Benedict XVI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 25 from Cardinal Edward Egan, with Bishops Murphy and Robert Joseph Baker serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

As bishop of the diocese he has the role of shepherding the State's 195,000 Catholics. The appointment fills the vacancy left by Bishop Robert Baker, who was transferred to the diocese of Birmingham in August 2007. The state's registered Catholic population more than doubled since 1990, largely due to massive Hispanic immigration.