Hierarchy update

Today it was announced that the Holy Father appointed Bishop Earl A. Boyea, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing, MI. He succeeds Bishop Carl F. Mengeling, who, until today's announcement, was one of the bishops serving past the age of 75. His Excellency reached the mandatory retirement age more than two years ago. It is important to note that no vacancy was created to fill this one.

This appointment leaves the number of ordinaries serving beyond the mandatory retirement age of 75 at nine. These prelates are Cardinals Maida and Egan of Detroit and New York respectively, as well as Archbishops Hughes of New Orleans; Lipscombe of Mobile, AL and Curtiss of Omaha, NE. Bishops serving past 75 are D'Arcy of Ft. Wayne/South Bend; IN; Murray of Kalamazoo, MI, Moynihan of Syracuse, NY; Saltarelli of Wilmingtn, DE. Archbishop Brunette of Seattle turns 75 shortly and Bishops Tafoya of Pueblo, CO; Pena of Brownsville, TX; Carmody of Corpus Christi, TX; Higi of Lafayette in Indiana are all 74. It bears noting that Archbishop Flynn of St. Paul/Minneapolis, who will also turn 75 this year, and Bishop Weigand of Sacramento have co-adjutors in the persons of Archbishop Nienstedt and Bishop Soto respectively.

The sede vancante dioceses in the United States remain Charleston, South Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Des Moines, Iowa; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Shreveport, Louisiana; Juneau, Alaska; Little Rock, Arkansas; New Ulm, Minnesota.