April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Welcome, Bishop-elect Scharfenberger
• Press conference introduces him
• 'The Church never closes'
• Bishop Hubbard welcomes successor
• Who is new bishop?
• Early reactions positive
• Family shares about Bishop-elect
• Acquaintances describe pastoral, supportive shepherd
• From first cardinal to latest bishop, Albany's spiritual leaders
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Bishop-elect Edward B. Scharfenberger's official statement on being named Bishop of Albany:
"How grateful I am to His Holiness Pope Francis for the awesome privilege to serve as pastor of all the wonderful people in the Diocese of Albany. I am touched by the warm welcome of Bishop Hubbard, who has served the Church in Albany with love and dedication for 37 years.
"My heart is full of gratitude to God for my loving family, especially my 93-year-old parents, who were generous enough to welcome me, my two brothers and two sisters into the world. They taught us how to pray, to trust God and to know Jesus as our friend. Their continuous example shows us that the essence of love is sacrifice.
"It is humbling when I think that I soon will be counted among the successors of the Lord's Apostles. I am not worthy of this office and I hope that our priests, deacons, religious and laypeople will pray for me often as, together, we continue along our journey of faith.
"What else do I ask for? What do I hope for? I ask the priests, deacons, religious and laity to help me to be myself - my best self. I promise to love and respect all of you by letting you be who you are and to bring out the best in you. Let's do this for one another. I will spend every talent that God has given me, and every ounce of energy, for the Church in Albany.
"I commend myself and my ministry to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of our Diocese."
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's official statement on the appointment of his successor:
"It is with great joy that we welcome Bishop-elect Edward Scharfenberger of the Diocese of Brooklyn as the 10th diocesan Bishop of Albany.
"For the past 37 years, I have had the privilege of serving as Bishop in the Diocese of Albany - a community consisting of 14 counties spread over 10,000 square miles, stretching from the Pennsylvania border to the Vermont border; from the Massachusetts state line to the Utica city line; from the northern Catskills to the southern Adirondacks. It is a territory dotted with cities, towns, villages, suburban and rural communities. It is an area blessed with not only magnificent physical beauty, but most importantly, with the rich and vibrant spiritual splendor of its 350,000 priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful.
"We greet him with warmth, hospitality and a sincere desire to be attentive and responsive to his leadership as our shepherd.
"Bishop-elect Scharfenberger has a rich background as both a canon and civil lawyer, as the head of the judicial Tribunal in Brooklyn, and as pastor for 12 years in St. Matthias in Ridgewood, a multi-ethnic parish, where he has gained fluency in a multitude of languages, which I am sure will serve him well in our Diocese and will be most appreciated by our growing Hispanic-speaking community. Currently, he is serving as the episcopal vicar for Queens.
"So we are most grateful that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has graced us with such a gifted shepherd, and we pledge him our prayers, loyalty, support and love."
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn on Msgr. Scharfenberger's appointment as Bishop of the Albany Diocese:
"First and foremost, Msgr. Scharfenberger is a good priest. He is primarily concerned about people and is untiring in finding new ways to proclaim the message of redemption which is at the heart of the Gospel. Msgr. Scharfenberger has been a close collaborator and friend. He has vast pastoral and administrative experience.
"I offer my prayers for Msgr. Scharfenberger as he undertakes his Episcopal ministry. I also extend my congratulations to his mother and father, Elaine and Edward, who are both blessed to see this joyful day, for raising such a fine Christian gentleman, for giving the Diocese of Brooklyn a great priest and for giving the Church a holy bishop."
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