ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States announced today that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Reverend Monsignor Herbert A. Bevard as Bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.  Bishop-elect Bevard has been Pastor of St. Athanasius Parish in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia for the past fourteen years and has been Vicar for Philadelphia-North for the past year.

Cardinal Justin Rigali said, “It is with great joy that I welcome Bishop-elect Bevard’s appointment by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.  This appointment continues the long tradition of generous service to the universal Church by priests of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  It demonstrates that the Holy Father has great confidence in Bishop-elect Bevard, an exemplary priest who has served the Archdiocese of Philadelphia faithfully and with great devotion. 

I offer to Bishop-elect Bevard my warm congratulations and prayerful best wishes as he begins his episcopal ministry.  I am certain that the priests, deacons, men and women religious and all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia join me in congratulating him and offering prayers that God may bless him and the Diocese of St. Thomas.  We in Philadelphia know what those in the Virgin Islands will soon learn -- that Bishop-elect Bevard has a true love for our Lord Jesus Christ and is a dedicated shepherd of His people.  As a convert to the Catholic Faith Bishop-elect Bevard offers a special witness to the Church, one that he exhibits daily in the joyful exercise of his priestly ministry.

I especially wish to thank Bishop-elect Bevard for his valuable assistance to me as Vicar for the Philadelphia-North region of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and his pastoral care of Saint Athanasius Parish.  He consistently has offered strong leadership, wise counsel and true pastoral care for the people of his parish and the wider Vicariate.  I am confident that as Bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas, Bishop-elect Bevard will shepherd the faithful there with this same great compassion and spiritual care that he demonstrated in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.”

This morning, Bishop-elect Bevard is in the Virgin Islands where he is holding a press conference. He will be ordained and installed as bishop on September 3, 2008 in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in St. Thomas by Metropolitan Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C. (The Diocese of St. Thomas is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Washington) in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, and Cardinal Justin Rigali.    

In a statement Bishop-elect Bevard said, “For thirty-six years I have been privileged to serve the Church of Philadelphia as a priest.  I am thankful to His Eminence Cardinal Justin Rigali for his goodness to me.  In extending my deepest gratitude to him, I also extend my appreciation to his predecessors and to all the priests and people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.   I express special gratitude and affection to my beloved parishioners of St. Athanasius Church who have been a cause of great joy in my life.”

Biographical Information:
Herbert A. Bevard was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 24, 1946 to Charles Wright Bevard and Catherine Schafer Bevard (both deceased).  He has a brother Charles W. Bevard, Jr. who currently lives in Nebraska.  Herbert Bevard attended Oxford Elementary School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, through the fifth grade. He then attended McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland until his high school graduation in 1964.  He converted to Catholicism from the Presbyterian Church in 1964 and became a parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish in Oxford, Chester County.  He attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA., later entered Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Montgomery County and was ordained a priest in 1972. 

Father Bevard served as Assistant Pastor at several parishes within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1983, including Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Media, Saint Robert Parish in the city of Chester and Saint Richard Parish in Philadelphia. He was also Newman Chaplain at Pennsylvania State University from 1972 to 1973 and at Widener University from 1973 to 1978.   He was assigned as Assistant Pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bensalem from 1983 to 1989.  He also served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square from 1989 to 1994.  At that time he became Pastor of Saint Athanasius Parish in Philadelphia.  He was named a Monsignor with the title of Chaplain to his Holiness in 2003. Cardinal Rigali named Monsignor Bevard as Vicar for Philadelphia-North in 2007.  

Bishop-elect Bevard is also a member of the Knights of Peter Claver, Knights of Columbus and the Legion of Mary among other Catholic organizations, boards and commissions.

###

Editor’s Note:  To read Bishop-elect Bevard’s full statement, please visit the Archdiocese of Philadelphia web site at www.archphila.org. To receive a photo electronically please contact the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Communications at communof@adphila.org

To learn more about the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands visit http://www.catholicvi.com/

Contact
Donna Farrell
Director of Communications
215-587-3747 (work)
215-651-3574 (cell)