Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades as the ninth Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, transferring him from the Diocese of Harrisburg. The Vatican made this announcement at noon on Saturday in Rome. Five years ago, on Oct. 14, 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed Rhoades as Bishop of Harrisburg. He was ordained a Bishop and installed as Harrisburg’s ninth Bishop on December 9, 2004. He will be installed as Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend on January 13, 2010.

Bishop Rhoades traveled to Fort Wayne on Friday, November 13, to be there for the announcement today. He is holding news conferences in both Fort Wayne and South Bend and also meeting with the priests of his new diocese. He will be returning to Harrisburg on Sunday and will hold a news conference at the Diocesan Center, 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, at 2 p.m. before going to Baltimore for the fall assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In a statement to the people of his new diocese, Bishop Rhoades expressed his feelings about leaving his home diocese of Harrisburg: “Naturally, it will not be easy for me to bid farewell to my family and friends, my brother priests and the faithful of the Harrisburg diocese.

I express my deep gratitude to them for their support, prayers, and affection. It has been a tremendous blessing in my life to serve as Bishop of Harrisburg and indeed to have served as a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg for 26 years.”

Bishop Rhoades stated that his “greatest joys as Bishop have been in being with the people, teaching the faith, and celebrating the sacraments.” He noted that he looked forward to continuing those activities in his new diocese, visiting the parishes, schools, and other communities there. The Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend differs from the Diocese of Harrisburg in that it has five Catholic colleges and universities, including the internationally-renowned University of Notre Dame. Bishop Rhoades noted that his only prior visit to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend was to attend a game between his two favorite college football teams, Notre Dame and Penn State. The Bishop celebrated Mass after that game in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Bishop Rhoades said that he accepted the Pope’s appointment “with faith and trust in the Lord.” He asked for the people’s prayers that he might be “a true shepherd after the heart of

Christ.”