NCR: Newark to get a coadjutor archbishop, Hebda from Gaylord

From the National Catholic Reporter: 

Pope Francis will appoint a coadjutor archbishop to the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., tomorrow to assist Archbishop John J. Myers in his ministry, NCR has learned.

Bernard A. Hebda, 54, currently bishop of Gaylord, Mich., will be named coadjutor archbishop of Newark on Tuesday, sources close to the process have told NCR.

Myers is 72 years old, putting him about three years away from mandatory retirement. He has been a bishop for 26 years and archbishop of Newark since 2001.

Newark has four auxiliary bishops, two in their 50s and two in their 70s.

It is common for bishops of large dioceses to be assisted by one or more auxiliary bishops, who generally exercise authority in the name of the local bishop over a defined territory or administrative responsibility. A coadjutor bishop is usually appointed when a current bishop needs significant help in his ministry.

A coadjutor bishop has nearly the same authority as the current diocesan bishop, and some receive special faculties with their appointment. A coadjutor bishop automatically becomes head of the diocese upon the death or retirement of the bishop of the diocese.

Unlike auxiliary bishops, coadjutors receive the title “archbishop” if they are assigned to an archdiocese.

Myers attracted extensive media attention in the spring after a local newspaper revealed that a priest, who was under court order not to minister to minors and whom Myers had installed in restrictive ministries, was helping with youth ministry in a parish in a neighboring diocese. Myers was faulted for not supervising the priest, Fr. Michael Fugee, who has since been removed from ministry and arrested for violating his court agreement.

Myers was back in the news in August with the announcement that the diocese of Peoria, Ill., had settled a case of childhood sexual abuse by a priest for $1.35 million. The case against Msgr. Thomas Maloney stemmed from the time Myers was bishop in Peoria.

Myers was appointed coadjutor bishop of Peoria, Ill., in September 1987 and became bishop of Peoria in January 1990.

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