Bishop Scharfenberger of Albany retires; Boston Auxiliary Bishop O'Connell named successor

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, 77, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Albany, New York, and has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Mark W. O'Connell of Boston as his successor.

The resignation and appointment were announced by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., in Washington Oct. 20.

"I have had the blessing over the last year to work with Bishop Mark O'Connell," Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning said. "He is a remarkably capable man and very humble. He loves people and he loves the priests of our Archdiocese."

Archbishop Henning said that Bishop O'Connell has "served Boston joyfully and effectively for decades. While we are sorry to lose him here in Boston we rejoice with the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of the Diocese of Albany. We are sending you our best and wishing you and your new bishop every blessing!"

Bishop O'Connell will be installed as Albany's 11th bishop on Dec. 5.

Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1990, then-Father O'Connell served in parish, seminary and tribunal roles before being named an auxiliary bishop of Boston June 3, 2016. He was ordained a bishop on Aug. 24 of that year. He chose the Latin "Invenimus Messiam," or "We found the Messiah" as his episcopal motto.

Bishop O'Connell, 61, was born in Toronto to Thomas F. and Margaret M. (Delaney) O'Connell, both American citizens. His father was the head librarian at York University in Toronto. When the future bishop was 12, the family moved back to Massachusetts, with his father taking a job at Boston College.

After studying philosophy at Boston College and theology at St. John Seminary in Brighton, Bishop O'Connell obtained a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

He was ordained a priest on June 16, 1990, for the Archdiocese of Boston. Among his assignments, he was parochial vicar of St. Barbara in Woburn and of St. Mary of the Annunciation in Danvers from 1990 to 1997; he was a college chaplain in Salem and assistant judicial vicar of the archdiocese between 2002-2007.

Before being named a bishop in 2016, he was a professor of canon law at St. John Seminary (2006-2016) and vice chancellor and judicial vicar (2007-2016).

"I'm giving you my heart. I'm giving you my faith. I'm giving you my joy," Bishop O'Connell said at a news conference in Albany. "I love every single thing about being a priest. I've always been a happy priest. I've learned to love being a bishop. And I pledge here today to learn and to love the people of Albany."

The prelate, who said he prefers to be called "Bishop Mark," thanked the pope; his predecessor, whom he called Bishop "Ed"; Cardinal Pierre; and "whoever else decided to recommend me with my skills for this place."

"It's kind of an arranged marriage, you know? It's kind of like the church says go and you go,” the bishop said. "I've been waiting for the go. But go is such an important word in salvation history, you know, right from Abraham and Moses. … 'Go to this land.' And Jesus says, 'Go and make disciples of all the people in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.'"

In his new role, he said, he is confident "we will make new disciples," adding that his confidence "comes from my experience. I don't know everything. I will learn. … In the last year I've worked closely with our new archbishop in Boston, Archbishop Richard Henning, and I have learned so much."

"My confidence," he said, "also comes from the many, many priests, religious sisters, deacons, laypeople, men and women who have formed me throughout my life, who have taught me," including his late parents, his sister and two brothers, a late uncle who was a priest, an aunt who is a Dominican Sister of peace, and many cousins.

"I have a wonderful family. They are my influencers," he said. "I'm so blessed."

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said he joined the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Albany in welcoming Bishop O'Connell.

"I look forward to working with him on behalf of God's people here in the Empire State," the cardinal said, adding his gratitude to Bishop Scharfenberger. "Bishop Ed has been a wise and trusted colleague, and I am confident that even as he relinquishes his administrative duties, he will continue his priestly and apostolic ministry. May he enjoy a long and fruitful retirement."

Bishop Scharfenberger served in the Diocese of Albany since April 10, 2014. In his time as bishop of Albany, Bishop Scharfenberger has been a national leader in responding to the clergy abuse crisis.

He published a list of offenders in the diocese in 2015, was among the first bishops in the country to call for an independent lay-led investigation of the scandal involving former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, revamped the diocesan review board, and established a predominantly lay task force on sexual abuse to make recommendations to the diocese on its response to survivors and its internal policies.

Bishop Scharfenberger serves as a consultor to the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and has served on several committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Diocese of Albany comprises 10,419 square miles in the state of New York and has a total population of just over 1.4 million. The diocese has a Catholic population of 316,275.