Pope Names Boston Auxiliary Bishop Robert Deeley as Bishop of Portland, Maine

WASHINGTON—PopeFrancis has named Boston Auxiliary Bishop Robert Deeley, 67, as bishop of Portland,Maine. He succeeds Bishop Richard J. Malone, who became bishop of Buffalo, May29, 2012.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, December 17, by ArchbishopCarlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Deeley was born June 18, 1946, in Cambridge,Massachusetts. After studies for the priesthood he was ordained for the BostonArchdiocese July 14, 1973. He was named an auxiliary bishop of Boston in 2012.

Bishop Deeley holds a bachelor of arts degree from The CatholicUniversity of America, a bachelor's degree in sacred theology from thePontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and a licentiate and doctorate incanon law from the Gregorian.

Assignments after ordination included parochial vicar, St. BartholomewParish, Needham, Massachusetts, 1973-1978; secretary, Metropolitan Tribunal ofArchdiocese of Boston, 1978-1981; studies in canon law, 1981-1985; associatejudicial vicar of the Boston archdiocese, 1985-1989; Judicial Vicar of Bostonarchdiocese, 1989-1999; pastor, St. Ann Parish, Quincy, Massachusetts,1999-2004; vicar forane (head of deanery), south region of Boston archdiocese,2002-2004; official of the Vatican Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith,2004-2010; and vicar general of the archdiocese, 2011-present.

He also has served as archdiocesan chaplain for the Knights of Columbus,1988-1991; spiritual director for the Catholic Lawyers Guild, 1991-1999, andpresident of the Canon Law Society of America, 2000.

The Portland Diocese comprises the state of Maine. In includes 1,328,361people, with 187,912 of them, or 14 percent, Catholic.

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