2 Named (by Pope Benedict XVI) to Head (US) Byzantine Eparchies

Zenit News Agency ^ | December 7, 2007

[NYer]

Bishop Pataki of Passaic Retires at 80

PASSAIC, New Jersey, DEC. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appointed Bishop William Skurla of the Byzantine Eparchy of Van Nuys, California, to lead the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced Thursday that the Pope accepted the resignation of 80-year-old Bishop Andrew Pataki of Passaic for reasons of age.

Father Gerald Dino, 67, of the Passaic Eparchy and pastor of St. George Parish, Linden, New Jersey, will succeed Bishop Skurla in Van Nuys.

Bishop Skurla, 51, will be installed Jan. 29 at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, in Passaic. Bishop-designate Dino will be ordained and installed March 27 at St. Helen Catholic Church in Phoenix.

The U.S. Eparchy of Passaic of the Ruthenians comprises Catholics of the Byzantine-Ruthenian rite in New Jersey, the District of Columbia and some 25 states, primarily on the East Coast and as far south as Florida.

Bishop Skurla, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York in 1981. He attended Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pennsylvania, where he earned a master of divinity degree in 1986 and a master of theology degree in 1987.

He was professed as a member of the Franciscans in Sybertsville, Pennsylvania, in 1985, and ordained a priest in 1987. In 1996, he was incardinated into the Eparchy of Van Nuys and named bishop of Van Nuys in 2002.

Gerald Dino was born in Binghamton, New York, in 1940. He received a bachelor's degree from Duquesne University in 1961, and a master of divinity degree from Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh, in 1965.

He was ordained a priest for the Eparchy of Passaic in 1965. He received a licentiate degree in Oriental Ecclesiastical Studies from the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, in 1972, and completed graduate work in religious communication from Loyola University, New Orleans, in 1973.

The U.S. Eparchy of Van Nuys of the Ruthenians was established in 1981, and canonically inaugurated in 1982. It includes parishes in the states of Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii and Alaska.

[NYer]

Ping!

[redhead]

"Benedict XVI appointed Bishop William Skurla of the Byzantine Eparchy of Van Nuys, California, to lead the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic."

Bishop Skurla is the Bishop of our Eparchy. It is going to be interesting to see what happens next, and to find out who his replacement will be. Please keep us in your prayers.

[redhead]

OOps. I see we already have our replecement. Well, pray for us, anyway...

[redhead]

a little background on Bishop Skurla.

[livius]

It looks like they’re just trading places. Strange.

[TotusTuus]

I'm losing a good Bishop.

But I'm getting a new one.

Such is life.

[TotusTuus]

It looks like they’re just trading places. Strange.

No, not really. The Passaic Eparchy is older and much larger than the Eparchy (i.e. Diocese) of Van Nuys, which is administratively handled out of the Pro-Cathedral, St. Stephen's, in Phoenix. The US is quartered into 4 Eparchies which constitute the Ruthenian-Byzantine Catholic Church in America.

Bishop Skurla is young, having been consecrated a bishop about 5 years ago when he came to the Van Nuys Eparchy, and this is a sign of him "moving up" in the ecclesiastical world, not unlike other bishops in the Latin Rite being moved from a Diocese to a new Archdiocese. Happens all the time.

Father Gerald Dino, his replacement, is not yet ordained a bishop but will be to lead the Eparchy of Van Nuys.

[livius]

That’s interesting!

[NYer]

I'm losing a good Bishop.

I did not realize you attended an Eastern Catholic Church. You're in good company here with freepers redhead, RKBA Democrat and .... me :-)

[RKBA Democrat]

Wow. I didn’t realize we had a new Bishop. What’s the word on Bp. William, redhead? What little I’ve heard has been positive.

Bp. Andrew was a relatively good Bishop. He was not getting out much, though, and given that the future and growth in the Passaic Eparchy is in the southern states, that was something of an issue.

[redhead]

I posted a link above that gives more info on Bishop Skurla above, with his biography. We at St. Nicholas/Bl. Theodore in Alaska are interested because our former pastor, Mitered Archimandrite Wesley Izer, is wearing several hats in the Eparchical offices, and may be in line for a kicking upstairs. It will be interesting to watch.

[RKBA Democrat]

I read the link on Bp. William. From what I’ve been told, you’re getting a good one in (soon to be) Bishop Gerald Dino. It’ll be interesting to see who goes on to take his place within our Eparchy. I have my fingers crossed for two in particular.

It’ll be interesting to see if Bishop William starts moving in the steps of Bishop John and ordains some married Deacons.

[TotusTuus]

Bishop William is a very good man with a humble sense of humor. Know him well. Bishop Andrew is retiring due to age. I suspect that Bishop William Skurla was being looked at to eventually replace Bishop Andrew Pataki in that Eparchy all along! It's been 6 years in the making! I kid you not. I'm sad to see him leave. He replaced Bishop George in the Van Nuys Eparchy due to severe health reasons.

Bishop Skurla had a very good relationship with Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix. Bishop Olmsted concelabrated with Bishop Skurla for the Episcopal Liturgy at St. Stephens Pro-Cathedral several years ago. Bishop Skurla also filled in for Bishop Olmsted at the annual Rosary Sunday last year in Phoenix due to Bishop Olmsted being in Rome at that time. Gave about 5-10 thousand parishioners in the Diocese a look at an Eastern Rite Bishop. Both are excellent and holy bishops of the Catholic Church!

"redhead", regarding Father Wes, he is now pastor at St. Thomas in the Phoenix area (Gilbert - the East side of the Valley). Know him well also, had fish and pieroghi with him last night! As you know he is a Salesian, hence his title of "Mitered Archimandrite", the Eastern equivalent of "Abbot". Because of that, I would guess that he would not be "kicked upstairs" - he is already pretty high up! I simply mean that usually prelates of this Order usually don't become bishops. (Of course, Bishop Skurla is a Franciscan). We know that Van Nuys already has a new Bishop named to replace Bishop Skurla.

[TotusTuus]

It’ll be interesting to see if Bishop William starts moving in the steps of Bishop John and ordains some married Deacons.

He just ordained two married Deacons this past year at St. Stephen's for the Van Nuys Eparchy.

I'm guessing that they are all working very close together throughout the Metropolia in the US concerning reinvigorating the distinctiveness of the Ruthenium Byzantine Church. You should surely be receiving the new liturgical books by now... At least 6 years or even more in the works. That is a sign of what has been "going on behind closed doors" for some period of time. (hee hee, I tend to peek at times... )

[RKBA Democrat]

“He just ordained two married Deacons this past year at St. Stephen’s for the Van Nuys Eparchy.”

I wasn’t aware of that. That’s very good news. We’re returning to our traditions.

“You should surely be receiving the new liturgical books by now... At least 6 years or even more in the works.”

Got them at the beginning of the year. Been using them since. Passaic was already very close to what is now the “new” liturgical books.

“I’m guessing that they are all working very close together throughout the Metropolia in the US concerning reinvigorating the distinctiveness of the Ruthenium Byzantine Church.”

Let’s hope so. We’ve been blessed in the south in that for the most part we were never really latinized.

[RKBA Democrat]

“Bishop William is a very good man with a humble sense of humor. Know him well. Bishop Andrew is retiring due to age. I suspect that Bishop William Skurla was being looked at to eventually replace Bishop Andrew Pataki in that Eparchy all along! It’s been 6 years in the making! I kid you not. I’m sad to see him leave.”

I’m delighted to hear that. While Bishop Pataki is/was a good Bishop, we really do need a young, dynamic Bishop for what is already a larger eparchy (but could be much larger.)

The south is a place of great promise for the Byzantines and it’s potential hasn’t been tapped. Keep in mind that the Eparchy of Passaic stretches along most of the eastern seaboard.

[TotusTuus]

...we really do need a young, dynamic Bishop for what is already a larger eparchy (but could be much larger.)

Will 51 years of age do? Seriously, he came in about 5 years ago with a 10 year plan to be completed in 5 years. It happened.

[RKBA Democrat]

“Will 51 years of age do?”

Very nicely, thanks.

“Seriously, he came in about 5 years ago with a 10 year plan to be completed in 5 years. It happened.”

Any insights as to what his plan was? Highlights?