Monsignor Joseph Bambera Named New Scranton Bishop

The Scranton Times Tribune – By Laura Legere – February 23, 2010

Monsignor Joseph Bambera has been appointed the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, the Vatican announced this morning.

The pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary of Czestochowa churches in Archbald, the Rev. 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.

The diocese will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. this morning in the Guild building to make “an important announcement about the future of the diocese,” a spokesman said Monday.

Before he assumes the role of ordinary, Monsignor Bambera will have to be both ordained a bishop and installed as the Bishop of Scranton at a Mass that has not yet been announced.

Monsignor Bambera, 53, was born in Carbondale where he attended Catholic schools.

He was ordained a priest 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.

The diocesan 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.

Monsignor Bambera had once been a member of Bishop Martino’s cabinet, but asked to be removed in 2007 so that he could return to being a pastor, a role he said last year is “his greatest joy.”

At the Aug. 31 press conference when Monsignor Bambera was named the local delegate, he dismissed any suggestion that he would become the next bishop of the diocese, saying he is “very happy in my little world up in Archbald and Eynon.”

“I think that is a rather awesome position that I’m not quite sure I’m well equipped to fulfill,” he said at the time. “We’ll leave that to other people to decide.”

The Bishop is the steward of grace of the supreme priesthood, especially in the Eucharist…. The Eucharist is the center of life of the particular Church. The Bishop and priests sanctify the Church by their prayer and work, by their ministry of the word and of the sacraments. They sanctify her by their example, not as domineering over those in their charge but being examples to the flock. Thus, together with the flock entrusted to them, they may attain to eternal life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #893) O’Meara Ferguson welcomes Bishop Bambera to his new ministry as Bishop of Scranton. We promise our prayerful support as he assumes his new responsibility as a “steward of grace” for the Church of Scranton.