Eagle Times Staff
Vermont’s 112,000 Catholics will soon have a new spiritual leader. Pope Francis has appointed Christopher Coyne as Coadjutor Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut.
As coadjutor archbishop, Coyne is expected to succeed Archbishop Leonard Blair, who will turn 75 next year and must submit his resignation in keeping with church law, according to the Diocese of Burlington.
A coadjutor is “a bishop appointed to a Catholic diocese or archdiocese to assist the diocesan bishop,” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Unlike an auxiliary bishop, the coadjutor [arch] bishop has the right of succession, meaning that he automatically becomes the new bishop when the diocesan bishop retires, resigns, or dies.”
The Archbishop of Hartford is responsible for a half-million Catholics in Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield counties. Blair has held the position since 2013. Coyne has led the Diocese of Burlington since December 2014.
Coyne will serve as the Apostolic Administrator of the Burlington Diocese until October; at which time a group of priests will elect an administrator to lead the diocese until a new bishop is appointed by Francis. He is originally from Woburn, Massachusetts, and worked as a bartender before entering seminary, according to the Catholic News Agency.
During his time as bishop, he has carried out a Diocesan Synod, ministered with his clergy, staff and parish leaders through the COVID pandemic, and maintained the works of the Catholic schools in the state, according to a diocese press release. Under his leadership, the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation was established to foster and support the works of the Church throughout the state.
Coyne’s pastorship has not been without trouble. He is credited with publicly releasing the names of at least 40 priests who faced abuse allegations — about 10% of all the state’s clergy since 1950, according to VTDigger.
And, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he removed The Rev. Peter Williams from Springfield’s Holy Family Parish. Williams had refused to be tested regularly for COVID-19 and would not wear a mask while ministering, according to the Catholic News Agency.
According to the Pew Research Center, 63 percent of Vermont adults say they belong to a religious group, with 54 percent of Vermonters identifying as Christians and 22 percent as Catholics.
A Mass of Welcome for Coyne will be celebrated at 2 p.m., Oct. 9, at St. Joseph Cathedral in Hartford.
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