Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will ordain Reverend Monsignor Michael F. Burbidge as a Bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Bishop-elect Burbidge, age 45, will be the second youngest Bishop in the United States and will serve as an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Thursday, September 5, 2002
Procession 2:00 p.m.
Ordination Mass 2:30 p.m.
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia

There will be a brief media availability with Bishop Burbidge immediately following the Mass Archdiocesan Office Center Auditorium
222 North 17th Street
Philadelphia

The last ordination of a bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia took place in March 1996 when Cardinal Bevilacqua ordained The Most Reverend Robert P. Maginnis and The Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino. Both are Auxiliary Bishops. There are also two retired Auxiliary Bishops, The Most Reverend Martin N. Lohmuller and The Most Reverend Louis A. DeSimone. All of the Auxiliary Bishops will participate in the Ordination Mass.

Cardinal Bevilacqua announced the papal appointment of Bishop-Elect Burbidge at a news conference on June 21, 2002. The Bishop-Elect is Rector of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, a post he will continue to hold. Bishop Burbidge will be only the third Auxiliary Bishop in a diocese to also be Rector of a Seminary.

Michael F. Burbidge was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Mr. and Mrs. Francis and Shirley Burbidge, who currently reside in Broomall, Pennsylvania. Father Burbidge graduated from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary and was ordained in 1984. He served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Bernard Parish in Philadelphia from 1984 to 1986 and taught at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Delaware County from 1986 to 1990. During 1990-91, Father Burbidge served on the faculty of Archbishop Wood High School and became Dean of Students at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in 1991. Father Burbidge served as Administrative Secretary to Cardinal Bevilacqua from 1992 to 1999. In 1998, he was named Honorary Prelate (Monsignor). Monsignor Burbidge was named Rector of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania in 1999.

Editor's Note: Television cameras will not be permitted in the Cathedral. An audio and video mult-box feed will be provided in the parking lot of the Cathedral. Crews will need a bnc connector and a recording deck. Parking space is extremely limited. If you are planning coverage, kindly contact the Office for Communications at 215-587-3747. Reporters and still photographers will be permitted in the Cathedral but are asked to remain in areas reserved for the media.

Contact
Donna Farrell
Broadcast and Media Specialist
215-587-3747