Peter John Byrne (born July 24, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York since 2014.


Peter John Byrne
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
Titular Bishop of Cluain Iraird
ChurchCatholic Church
ArchdioceseNew York
AppointedJune 14, 2014
InstalledAugust 4, 2014
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Cluain Iraird
Orders
OrdinationDecember 1, 1984
by John Joseph O'Connor
ConsecrationAugust 4, 2014
by Timothy M. Dolan, Gerald Thomas Walsh, and Dominick John Lagonegro
Personal details
Born (1951-07-24) July 24, 1951 (age 73)
MottoDeus est fidelis
(God is faithful)
Styles of
Peter John Byrne
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Biography

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Early life

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Peter Byrne was born on July 24, 1951, in Manhattan, the son of John and Dorothy Byrne. He grew up in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan and attended Immaculate Conception School Elementary School in Manhattan and Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx. Bryne earned a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in New York City in history and social studies.[1]

In 1974, Byrne entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, to begin his formation as a priest. However, having some doubts about his career choice, he took a leave of absence from the seminary in 1977. From 1977 to 1984, Byrne taught at Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School in Valhalla, New York, and at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in Brooklyn, New York. In 1983, Byrne returned to St. Joseph's to complete the program.[2][1]

Priesthood

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Byrne was ordained a priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal John O'Connor on December 1, 1984.[3][1]

After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Byrne as parochial vicar at St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was transferred in 1984 to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in the Bronx to serve as administrator there. In 1995, he briefly served as administrator at St. John the Baptist de La Salle Parish in Staten Island, New York.[1]

Byrne then served as pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish on Staten Island from 1995 to 2013. After the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Byrne worked for several weeks with families that lost relatives there.[2] Byrne served at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Washington Heights, Manhattan from 2013 to 2014.[4]

Auxiliary Bishop of New York

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Byrne was named the titular bishop of Cluain Iraird and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York by Pope Francis on June 14, 2014.[5] He was consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on August 4, 2014. New York auxiliary bishops Gerald Walsh and Dominick Lagonegro were the co-consecrators. Byrne chose as his episcopal motto "God is Faithful".[4]

In May 2023, Byrne participated in the maiden voyage of a new Staten Island Ferry boat, the Dorothy Day. The boat was named after the Servant of God Dorothy Day, a founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 and an advocate for the poor.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Bishop Peter Byrne". Archdiocese of New York. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b DosSANTOS, JULIANN (August 6, 2014). "Friends Say 'Holy Spirit Was Behind the Choice' of This Humble Pastor". Catholic New York. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Bishop Peter John Byrne [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b John Woods (July 24, 2014). "Ordination of Three Auxiliary Bishops". Catholic New York. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  5. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 14.06.2014" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. June 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Staten Island ferry named for Dorothy Day makes maiden voyage". Detroit Catholic. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
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Episcopal succession

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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
2014–Present
Succeeded by