Pope appoints Monsignor Bambera new Diocese of Scranton bishop
BY LAURA LEGERE (STAFF WRITER) Scranton Times-Tribune
Published: February 23, 2010
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia and interim leader of the Scranton Diocese, right, announces Monsignor Joseph Bambera, left, as the 10th bishop of Scranton.
Monsignor Joseph Bambera, appointed as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, speaks to the press in front of the religious icon "Christ the Teacher.
The pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary of Czestochowa churches in Archbald, Bishop-elect Bambera has run the daily operations of the diocese for the past six months as delegate to interim leader Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia.
He will become only the second local priest to head the 11-county see.
At a 10 a.m. press conference in the Diocesan Guild building Tuesday, Bishop-elect Bambera said he assumes the role with "deep humility," and then quoted words that a predecessor bishop once inscribed on a prayer card: "God writes straight with crooked lines."
"I don't think that anybody ever thinks that they are fit for or worthy of a job like this," he said. He added that he must trust "that the Lord who gets you into it will carry you through."
Monsignor Bambera will be ordained and installed as the Bishop of Scranton at a Mass at 2 p.m. in St. Peter's Cathedral on Monday, April 26.
The 53-year-old priest was born in Carbondale where he attended Catholic schools.
He was ordained in 1983, and was made a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in 1997. He has served as chair of the diocesan Presbyteral Council, an advisory body of priests, and was a member of the University of Scranton's board of trustees.
He has held posts throughout the diocese, including his first priestly assignments as assistant pastor at St. Mary of the Assumption and then St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton. He has served as the Vicar for Priests and the Episcopal Vicar for the central region of the diocese.
The bishop's seat has technically been vacant since the Vatican made the unusual move of accepting Bishop Joseph F. Martino's retirement at age 63 on Aug. 31, 2009.
Cardinal Rigali, the apostolic administrator of the diocese for the past six months, sat to the left of Bishop-elect Bambera and introduced him during the press conference.
The future bishop called on his fellow priests, religious and laity in the diocese to collaborate "as we begin a new chapter in the life of the Diocese of Scranton" and to push forward through challenges.
"I am... keenly aware of the struggles that we have faced together," he said. "In addition to the personal losses and setbacks that touch everyone's lives, as a diocese, we've struggled with change, parish restructuring and church and school closures. We continue to do so.
"But notice that through all of these challenges, despite the pain that so often comes from loss, life goes on," he said.
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com
