Pope Names Jesuit To Head Diocese Of Oakland, California

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has named Jesuit FatherMichael Barber, 58, a member of the Jesuit Province of California and directorof spiritual formation at St. John's Seminary, Brighton (Boston),Massachusetts, as bishop of Oakland, California.

Theappointment was publicized in Washington, May 3, by Archbishop Carlo MariaViganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-electBarber was born July 13, 1954, in Salt Lake City. He entered the Society ofJesus in 1973 and was ordained a priest for the Society in 1985.

Heholds a bachelor of arts degree in history/philosophy from Gonzaga University, Spokane,Washington; master of divinity and bachelor of sacred theology degrees fromRegis College of the University of Toronto; and a licentiate and doctorate insacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

Assignmentsafter ordination included 1985-1987, missionary in Apia, Western Samoa;1987-1992, student at Gregorian University and assistant professor of theologythere (1990-1991); 1992-1998, researcher and tutor at Oxford University;1998-2001, director, School of Pastoral Leadership, Archdiocese of SanFrancisco, with residence at St. Agnes Parish; 2002-2010, assistant professorof systematic and moral theology, and spiritual director, St. Patrick Seminary,Menlo Park, California; and 2010-present, director of spiritual formation, St. John'sSeminary.

Hesucceeds Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who was named head of the SanFrancisco Archdiocese, July 27, 2012.

TheOakland Diocese includes 1,467 square miles and two counties, Alameda andContra Costa, in California. The diocese has 2,586,396 people, with 399,546, or15 percent of them, Catholic.

# # ## #