A list of possible candidates for the Denver metropolitan vacancy(from a friend who's been watching).
Bishop Nickless of Sioux City, IA
Ricken of Green Bay, WI
Vlazny of Portland, formerly of Winona, MN
Campbell of Columbus, formerly Auxiliary in St. Paul - Minneapolis, MN
The Upper Midwest has been on a roll: We have Archbishops in Anchorage, Portland, NYC, Cincinnati, and a Bishop in San Diego.
One blogger thinks the leading candidate is Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND.
Bishop Aquila, currently the Ordinary of the Fargo Diocese, is no stranger to Denver-- in fact, he was first ordained there. He was also the first rector of the Seminary in Denver, after ++Chaput re-opened it.
Naturally, Bishop Aquila has spent a bit of time in Rome. Since his ordination as Bishop, he has absolutely transformed North Dakota during his tenure there. With a specialization in liturgy, and also with great experience in catechesis (he has been on a USCCB committee for both), it is no surprise that Fargo Diocese is doing as well as it is.
In addition, he is a staunch defender of human life, and no stranger to entering into the Public Forum, either.
For all of these reasons, not that my own opinion makes any difference, I think he would be an excellent candidate to fill the void that Archbishop Chaput has left in the Mile High City. Given the raised profile of the Church in Denver, the candidate would have to be someone of the caliber of Bishop Aquila, and also someone of his knowledge of the mid-west and mountain regions.
As for a date for announcing this, just to keep it interesting...I wouldn't be at all surprised if whoever the successor is going to be is announced before Christmas of this year, perhaps even as early as the beginning of October; however, I am sure that the passing of our beloved Nuncio may have slowed down things a bit.
6 comments:
(Brian from Illinois): It will be very interesting to see what happens; who goes where. Baltimore and San Francisco are also waiting for new Archbishops, so even if Bishop Aquila goes to Denver, the other candidates mentioned could end up going places as well. There are currently 16 U.S. Dioceses waiting for new Bishops. Also, Archbishop Vlazny of Portland turns 75 next February and submits his resignation to the Holy Father, which of course means that Portland will be looking for a new leader....... Stay tuned! :)
Brian, yes very interesting. When you commented on the other post about your conversation and then I got that email it got me thinking you might just be on to something. Ricken was in Wyoming prior to going to Green Bay...
Ricken is popping up a lot in conversations that I hear. I think that this could be a fit for several reasons, but Aquila isn't a long shot either.
The big question is who fills Bruskewitz's spot? Aquila seems like a fill there so maybe Ricken goes to Denver.
There are some Michigan Bishops that could fill the DEN slot as well. It really is fun to watch all this play out.
I know Bishop Aquila and I can say he is not the man of character he purports himself to be. I dare not go into to details but to many people in Fargo, he has been a serious disappointment.
(Brian): My home Diocese is Rockford, Illinois. We are waiting for a new Bishop down here as Bishop Thomas Doran turned 75 back in February. The "hot rumor" is Bishop Joseph Perry, a Chicago Auxiliary Bishop. My second Diocese is Marquette, Michigan. We love Bishop Sample, but we wonder how much longer he'll be there. My mom was born and raised in Green Bay, and we've been there many times. We're going to be at the Eucharistic Conference there in October. If Bishop Ricken is moved to Denver (or somewhere else), it will be very interesting to see who takes his place in Green Bay. Green Bay is a more high profile Diocese now because of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. Like Joseph, I too wonder who will take over from Bishop Bruskewitz in Lincoln. The Congregation For Bishops is meeting in Rome either this week or next, and Lincoln should be at the front of the line. Again, stay tuned! :)
Anon: that's rather ambiguous.
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