Bishop Barron appointed to Diocese of Winona-Rochester

(ABC 6 News) – Pope Francis has appointed the Most Rev. Robert E. Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

His installation Mass has been set for Friday, July 29

Bishop Barron, born on November 19, 1959 in Chicago, spent his childhood in Detroit and then in a suburb of Chicago. Bishop Barron studied at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago and at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC before being ordained a priest on May 24, 1986.

After serving as an associate pastor for three years, Bishop Barron was sent to study at the Institut Catholique de Paris where he completed his Doctorate of Sacred Theology. Bishop Barron served as professor of theology at Mundelein Seminary from 1992 to 2015 and also served as its president-rector from 2012 to 2015.

Bishop Barron launched his Word on Fire Catholic Ministries in 2000 and has been broadcast extensively throughout the world. His 10-part documentary, Catholicism, aired on public television in the United States and he is the first priest since Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen to have a regular national program on a commercial television network.

Bishop Barron, through his clear teaching and love of the Gospel, has been able to share the truth of the Gospel to millions through the internet and, in particular, social media. Barron’s Word on Fire website hosts daily blog posts, weekly articles and video commentaries and Bishop Barron has over 3.1million Facebook followers, 517,000 YouTube subscribers, 349,000 Instagram followers, and 198,000 Twitter followers

He will replace 76-year-old Bishop John Quinn, who has decided to resign.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester covers 12,282 square miles. Nearly 600,000 people reside in the diocese. About 134,000 of them are Catholics.