Holy Father gives new auxiliary bishop to San Francisco archdiocese

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that the Holy Father appointed with a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A native Californian, Bishop-elect Robert W. McElroy will assist the Archbishop George Niederauer in serving the region's 437,000 Catholics.

A native of San Francisco, Bishop elect McElroy was born in 1954 and eventually moved to the East Coast, earning a Bachelor's degree from the Harvard University. After returning to California to earn a Master's degree in History from Stanford University, the bishop-elect attended St. Patrick Seminary in the Menlo Park. He was ordained a priest in the San Francisco Archdiocese in 1979 and named as a monsignor in 1996.

In addition to serving in local parishes, Bishop-elect McElroy attended Gregorian University in Rome, earning a doctorate in Sacred Theology.

Earlier today, Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco praised the new auxiliary bishop in a statement, expressing gratitude at his appointment.

“I am most grateful to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for appointing Monsignor Robert McElroy as Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco,” wrote the archbishop.

“We in this Archdiocese are delighted that Monsignor McElroy’s gifts and zeal will be given even broader scope in serving the life of the Catholic Church and the community here.”

Bishop-elect McElroy currently serves at St. Gregory Parish in San Mateo. As auxiliary bishop, he will assist in leading the 437,000 Catholics in the San Francisco Archdiocese, including 457 priests, 79 permanent deacons and 931 religious.