20 December 2009

Overview: Province of Florida

This province has as its metropolitan the Archdiocese of Miami along with the suffragan Dioceses of: Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, Saint Augustine, Saint Petersburg, and Venice, all in the state of Florida.

The Archdiocese of Miami is led by Archbishop John Clement Favalora (74). He will reach the normal retirement age in December 2010. A retirement in 2011 is likely.

The archdiocese also has two active auxiliary bishops: Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estevez (63) and Bishop John Gerard Noonan (58).

Bishop Thomas Gerard Wenski (59) is the ordinary of the Diocese of Orlando. He has held his current post for 5 years.

The Diocese of Palm Beach has as its ordinary Bishop Gerald Michael Barbarito who turned 60 in a fortnight. His age and length at his current post may him a likely candidate for other posts.

Bishop John Huston Ricard, S.S.J. (69) is the head of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. This past July he celebrated 25 years as a bishop. He may be the first ordinary in the Diocese's history to not be appointed to another post.

The Diocese of Saint Augustine is headed by Bishop Victor Benito Galeone who turns 75 next September. He may well retire and have his replacement named in the coming year or the year after.

Bishop Robert Nugent Lynch (68) is the ordinary of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg.

The Diocese of Venice has been led by Bishop Frank Joseph Dewane (59) for almost three years.

Overall, the province is likely to be very stable in terms of hierarchy for the next year. But then the two retirements become likely, perhaps by this time next year.

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