This morning, His
Holiness Pope John Paul II appointed the
Very Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, rector of
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, as the ninth
bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Harrisburg, Pa. Bishop-elect Rhoades
succeeds Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo, who
passed away in March.
Bishop-elect
Rhoades, 46 is a priest of the Harrisburg
diocese and has served as seminary rector
for seven years and professor for nine
years. The diocese, which encompasses a
population of more than 2 million,
includes almost 250,000 Catholics, 89
parishes and seven missions, 161 priests
and 49 permanent deacons. It also includes
39 parish and inter-parochial elementary
schools (10,058 students), and seven
secondary schools (3,932 students).
"I am happy to be
coming home to the wonderful diocese of
Harrisburg," said Bishop-elect Rhoades. "I
look forward to being with the priests, my
co-workers in the ministry, with
thedeacons, with the men and women in
consecrated life, and with the lay
faithful, all united in the one Body of
Christ in truth and charity."
Bishop-elect
Rhoades was baptized at Saint Canicus
Church in Mahanoy City, Pa. He grew up in
Lebanon, Pa. and was a member of
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Parish in Lebanon. He attended Saint
Mary’s School in Lebanon and Lebanon
Catholic High School. He attended Mount
St. Mary’s University and in 1979 received
a BA in philosophy from St. Charles
Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He also
received his STB in Theology (1982), his
STL in Theology (1986) and his JCL in
Canon Law (1988) from the Gregorian
University in Rome.
"Father Rhoades is
a special priest," said Thomas H. Powell,
president of Mount St. Mary’s University.
"Not only is he a skilled administrator,
but he is a priest with the heart of
Jesus.
We are grateful
for his years of service as rector of our
seminary and for his leadership in
preparing our seminarians for priestly
formation. We wish him well and delight in
his appointment as Bishop of Harrisburg."
He was ordained a
deacon at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican
City, in 1982 by Terence Cardinal Cooke.
In 1983, he was ordained a priest at
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Church in Lebanon by then Auxiliary Bishop
William Keeler, now Cardinal for the
Archdiocese of Baltimore, Md., and
Chancellor of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.
"Bishop Rhoades brings to his new position
many wonderful gifts: he is a dedicated
priest who knows and loves the diocese
personally; a pastor who has dealt
effectively with the challenges of a
modern city parish; and one equipped,
culturally and linguistically, to offer
spiritual leadership to those coming from
Latin America," said Cardinal Keeler.
"To the service of
God’s people in Central Pennsylvania,
Bishop Rhoades brings also a deep
spirituality and the experience he gained
as rector of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.
There, in offering oversight to one of our
country’s great seminaries, he sharpened
skills of discernment and administration
that will be blessings for all," Cardinal
Keeler added.
Bishop-elect
Rhoades is the son of Charles Rhoades, who
lives in Lebanon, and of the late Mary
Rhoades. He has an older brother, Charles,
and sister-in-law Melanie, who have two
children, Emily and Rachel. They live in
Dover, New Hampshire. He has a younger
sister, Robin, and brother-in-law, William
McCracken, who have three children, John,
Molly, and Marykate. They live in Gap, Pa.