SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The bishop of Worcester has been appointed apostolic administrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

 

Pope Francis on Monday named the Most Rev. Robert J. McManus administrator effective immediately, in addition to continuing as the bishop of Worcester.

 

An apostolic administrator oversees the continuing operation of the diocese in the absence of an ordinary or local diocesan bishop. The See or Diocese of Springfield became "vacant" with the naming of Bishop Mitchell Rozanski as the archbishop of St. Louis.

 

"I am humbled by the confidence which the Holy Father has placed in me," said Bishop McManus in a statement. "I look forward to working with the current administration in the Diocese of Springfield as well as meeting the faithful in the diocese from which the Diocese of Worcester was established 70 years ago.

 

"As apostolic administrator, it is my canonical responsibility to assure stability in the continuing operation of the Diocese of Springfield until the Holy Father appoints a new diocesan bishop."

 

McManus, 69, is a native of Rhode Island and attended parochial schools in Providence. He studied for the priesthood at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick and attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned bachelor and master of arts degrees. He received his master of divinity from the Toronto School of Theology. He has also earned licentiate and doctoral degrees in sacred theology from The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

 

He was ordained in 1978 and served in a number of parishes in Rhode Island before continuing his studies in Rome. He returned to St. Luke's Parish in Barrington in 1987, taking on the positions as diocesan vicar for education, director of the Office of Ministerial Formation and theological consultant and editorial writer for The Providence Visitor newspaper. He was appointed a Prelate of Honor to His Holiness with the title of monsignor in 1997 and named rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary a year later. In 1999, he was ordained as titular bishop of Allegheny and auxiliary bishop of Providence and he continued to serve as secretary for Ministerial Formation and rector of the seminary.

 

Saint Pope John Paul II named McManus as the fifth bishop of Worcester and he was installed on May 14, 2004. He currently serves on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Doctrine Committee and on the Subcommittee for Healthcare Issues.