Greensburg bishop retires; Harrisburg diocesan official named successor
WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and appointed as his successor Fr. Edward C. Malesic, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa.
Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Edward C. Malesic, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa., to head the Diocese of Greensburg, Pa. He succeeds Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt, 76, whose resignation the pope accepted the same day. Bishop-designate Malesic, 54, is pictured in an April 20 photo. (CNS photo | Emily M. Albert, The Catholic Witness)
Bishop Brandt, who has headed the Greensburg Diocese since 2004, is 76, one year past the age that bishops are required by canon law to turn in their resignation to the pope.
Bishop-designate Malesic, 54, has been judicial vicar and secretary of canonical services in Harrisburg since 2006.
The changes were announced in Washington April 24 by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The newly named bishop will be ordained and installed during a July 13 Mass at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg.
“This is an office that I never strove for nor expected,” said Bishop-designate Malesic, describing his shock when he received a call from Archbishop Vigano telling him the pope was appointing him to Greensburg.
“But now that reality is setting in, I must thank God who has blessed me so much in this life and in the priesthood,” he said at a morning news conference. “It has been quite a journey so far and I suppose there is much more to come — and the people of Greensburg are going to be a huge part of my journey from now on.
“I am grateful to Pope Francis for placing his confidence in me. I do not feel deserving of it, but I am accepting of it,” he added. “I love Pope Francis, and the way he has asked us all to examine and deepen our personal relationship with God. I give him my loyalty and devotion.”
Bishop-designate Malesic thanked Bishop Brandt “for welcoming me so warmly.”
“When you called me last week, you told me that I am inheriting a gem of a diocese. I know that you have worked hard to keep it sparkling during times of change. The Catholic community here owes a debt of gratitude to you,” the newly named bishop added.
Edward C. Malesic was born Aug. 14, 1960. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1983 and a master’s in divinity in 1987, both from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg May 30, 1987.
Following ordination, he was an assistant pastor of St. Theresa Parish in New Cumberland, Pa., for two years and then at St. Rose of Lima Parish in York, Pa., for two years.
He also was campus minister at York College of Pennsylvania, 1989 to 1992, and at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, 1992 to 1996. He has served, first as administrator, then pastor at Holy Infant Parish in York Haven, Pennsylvania, since 2004.
Bishop-designate Malesic holds a licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington. He served as an auditor in the ecclesiastical tribunal, 1996 to 1998, and as defender of the bond and canonical consulter for the tribunal, 1998 to 2000. He has served as judicial vicar and secretary of canonical services in the Harrisburg Diocese since 2006.
Lawrence E. Brandt was born March 27, 1939, in Charleston, West Virginia, and ordained a priest of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 19, 1969. St. John Paul II appointed him bishop of Greensburg Jan. 2, 2004. He was ordained a bishop March 4 of that year.
“I personally have been deeply moved and impressed during my more than 11 years as bishop of Greensburg by the faith of the Catholics in our four counties of southwestern Pennsylvania,” Bishop Brandt said, adding that he was confident his successor “likewise, will find that this diocese and its people are exceptional in their commitment to their faith and their love of the church. I know your new spiritual family will have a special place in their hearts for you.”
“We welcome you with open arms and rejoice that it is you who have come to us,” he told Bishop-designate Malesic. “I assure you of our full support and cooperation. Know that we accompany you with our prayers as you assume your new responsibilities.”
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said in a statement he welcomed the newly named bishop as a brother and called his appointment “a moment of joy for the church in Pennsylvania.”
He said his wide-ranging pastoral and administrative “will serve him well in the office of bishop. He also possesses a keen understanding of Catholics in our commonwealth and the issues facing our church here.”
Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh promised his and the diocese’s “prayers and support” to Bishop-designate Malesic.
“I am confident that he will use his exemplary pastoral skills to serve well the faithful of the Diocese of Greensburg,” he said. “Thanks, too, to Bishop Brandt for being a good neighbor for the past 11 years. He continues to be a good friend of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I wish him good health, much happiness and deepened holiness.”
Benedictine Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki of St. Vincent Archabbey, Seminary and College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, which is in the Greensburg Diocese, also noted the bishop-designate’s “wealth of pastoral experience and administrative wisdom” from his years of service in Harrisburg.
He said the Benedictine community looked forward to working with Bishop-designate Malesic in all of the archabbey’s “pastoral, educational and missionary apostolates.”
The Diocese of Greensburg covers 3,334 square miles. Out of a total population of about 665,700 people, just over 144,000, or 22 percent, are Catholic.
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