The Most Reverend Christopher J. Coyne, Bishop of the diocese of Burlington, Vermont, has been named Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford. Archbishop Coyne will be welcomed at a Mass at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Hartford on October 9, 2023, and then will take up residence in the Archdiocese following the welcome Mass.
A coadjutor Archbishop holds the right of succession, and so Archbishop Coyne will succeed Archbishop Leonard Blair upon his retirement in 2024. Being appointed coadjutor allows Archbishop Coyne time to get to know the diocese, and what plans are in place and in process. Archbishop Coyne has stated that he looks forward to meeting the people of the Archdiocese of Hartford and will look for opportunities to do so as he becomes familiar with our Archdiocese. “I hope over the next seven or eight months to spend less time in the office and more time on the road,” he said in an article in the Hartford Courant.
Archbishop Coyne is a native of the Boston area and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1986. He served many roles in the Archdiocese of Boston and was named an auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis in January of 2011, and in December of 2014 was named Bishop of the Diocese of Burlington, VT. Archbishop Coyne is a skilled communicator, and was the first bishop to have a blog. He likes social media and plans to be present there when he cannot be in person.
Our prayers at Precious Blood Parish are for Archbishop Blair as he approaches his retirement, and for Archbishop Coyne as we welcome him to be our new shepherd for the Archdiocese of Hartford. Should the opportunity arise that Archbishop Coyne can come and visit our parish, we will apprise all our parishioners of the particulars.