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More than a year after Bishop Matthew Clark retired, the Rochester Diocese he headed has a new bishop: On Nov. 6, Bishop Salvatore Matano of the Diocese of Burlington, Vt., was appointed as Bishop Clark's successor in the western New York diocese. (See separate story on page 3.)

But the Albany Diocese has just begun the waiting period for a new bishop, which could also last a year or more.

In this, Albany joins 11 other U.S. dioceses currently awaiting new bishops - now including Burlington, and also Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Fort Worth, Texas; Toledo, Ohio; Fairbanks, Alaska; Gaylord and Marquette, Michigan; Pueblo, Colorado; and Wichita, Kansas, as well as a Ukrainian eparchy (a diocese of the Eastern-rite Church) in Ohio.

Also on the list is Portland, Maine. In fact, Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo is still doing double duty, traveling back to his former diocese of Portland every six to eight weeks to serve as apostolic administrator until that diocese gets a new bishop.

When Bishop Malone is in Buffalo, "we connect with him almost every week by videoconference," as well as by email and phone, noted Sister Rita-Mae Bissonnette, RSR, chancellor of the Portland Diocese.

On Oct. 31, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard turned 75. As is mandatory for bishops, he mailed his official resignation letter to Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio to the United States. The Bishop's secretary, Ginny Daley, told The Evangelist last week that she expected to receive a notice soon confirming that the resignation letter had been forwarded to Rome.

Until a successor is named, Bishop Hubbard will likely continue to lead the Albany Diocese. However, it's possible an apostolic administrator could be appointed - as was the case in Rochester, which was overseen by Syracuse Bishop Robert Cunningham from September 2012 until Bishop Matano's appointment last week.

The last time the Albany Diocese had an administrator, it was Bishop Hubbard himself: In 1976, then-Bishop Edwin Broderick was named director of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Catholic Church's overseas aid agency. Rev. Howard Hubbard, who was serving as vicar general of the Diocese, became administrator. He was appointed Bishop less than a year later.

(Read previous stories on Bishop Hubbard's retirement at www.evangelist.org under "Bishop.")[[In-content Ad]]

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