Pope Francis names new Bishop for Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo

The Diocese will host a News Conference at 10 a.m. EST that will be live streamed at www.diokzoo.org.

KALAMAZOO, Mich., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Paul J. Bradley, 77, and appointed Msgr. Edward M. Lohse, 61, as the fifth Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo. The resignation and appointment were announced today by the Holy See in Rome.

Bishop-elect Lohse is currently the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Erie and Pastor of St. Julia Parish, Erie. Ordination of the new Bishop has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at St. Augustine Cathedral, Kalamazoo.

Bishop-elect Lohse is the sixth of seven children born to his parents, the late Edward and Ida Lohse, who raised their family in their hometown of McKean, Pa. He graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School and continued his education at Gannon University, Erie, Pa., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He continued his seminary studies at St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, Pa., graduating with a Master of Divinity in 1987 and completing his requirements for ordination in 1988. More recently, Bishop-elect Lohse furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University earning both a License (2002) and Doctorate in Canon Law (2016). He was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Michael J. Murphy on April 21, 1989, at St. Peter Cathedral, Erie, Pa.

“I am both humbled and honored to be asked by the Holy Father to become the fifth Bishop of Kalamazoo, and I am grateful to Bishop Bradley for his support,” said Bishop-elect Lohse. “The task ahead is a daunting one, but none of us walks the path of faith alone. I know that I will need to count on the prayers of Bishop Bradley, the priests, religious and laity of the diocese, and I pledge my prayers for them in return. Together, we will go forward to proclaim Christ, and to meet him in the hearts of all God’s people in the Diocese of Kalamazoo.”

Visit www.diokzoo.org for additional biographical information.

Contact: Vicki Cessna
[email protected]
269.349.8714 ext. 1350
269.929.8298 (cell)
www.diokzoo.org

SOURCE Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo