Barry C. Knestout
University of Maryland | |
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Motto | Christ our hope |
Styles of Barry Christopher Knestout | ||
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Reference style | ||
Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Bishop |
Barry Christopher Knestout (born June 11, 1962) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Bishop of Richmond since 2017.
Previously, Knestout served as the priest secretary for Cardinal James Hickey of Washington and then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Knestout also served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, assisting Cardinal Donald Wuerl.
Biography
Early life
Barry Knestout was born in Cheverly, Maryland, on June 11, 1962, to Thomas and Caroline Knestout. Thomas was a deacon who served as a cryptologist for the National Security Agency and as the director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Washington.[1] Barry Knestout has five brothers and three sisters.[2] A younger brother, Mark Knestout, is a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington.[3][4][5]
As a child, Barry Knestout lived with his family in Ankara, Turkey, for four years. On returning to the United States, he attended St. Pius X School and Bowie Senior High School, both in Bowie, Maryland.[6] Knestout then studied at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, obtaining a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1984.[6]
In 1985, having decided to become a priest, Knestout entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1988 and a Master of Theology degree in moral theology in 1989.[7]
Priesthood
Knestout was ordained to the
- St. Bartholomew in Bethesda, Maryland (1989 to 1993)
- St. Peter in Waldorf, Maryland (1993 to 1994)[6]
Hickey named Knestout as his priest-secretary in 1994, a position he would hold until Hickey's death in 2004. The Vatican raised Knestout to the rank of monsignor in 1999. In 2001, Hickey appointed Knestout as executive director of the archdiocesan office of youth ministry, a post he held for two years.[6] Knestout also served as priest-secretary for McCarrick from 2003 to 2004.[7]
In 2004, the archdiocese assigned Knestout to serve as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. McCarrick appointed him as archdiocesan secretary for pastoral life and social concerns in 2006.[6] In April 2007, Knestout became vicar general and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese.[7]
In 2008, Wuerl appointed Knestout to co-chair the Papal Visit Planning Committee in 2008, overseeing preparations for Pope Benedict XVI's
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
On November 18, 2008, Knestout was appointed
Bishop of Richmond
On December 5, 2017, Knestout was appointed the 13th bishop of Richmond by Pope Francis.[4] He was installed on January 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia.[5]
In February 2019, Knestout released a list of 42 priests from the diocese who were facing credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.
On October 22, 2020, Knestout announced a $6.3 million settlement to 51 people who were sexually abused as children by clergy from the diocese. He also established the Independent Reconciliation Program to help the healing of the victims.[13]
On February 13, 2023, Knestout protested a leaked internal document from the Richmond office of the
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References
- ^ "Deacons Son: A New Bishop in Washington, D.C." Catholic Online. December 30, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011.
- ^ Zimmerman, Mark (November 18, 2008). "Pope Benedict names Msgr. Knestout as auxiliary bishop for Washington". My Catholic Standard. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ a b c Zimmerman, Mark (December 30, 2008). "Bishop Barry Knestout ordained as new auxiliary bishop for Washington". My Catholic Standard. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ a b White, Christopher (December 5, 2017). "Bishop Barry Knestout tapped to lead the diocese of Richmond". Crux. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ a b "Bishop". Diocese of Richmond - The Most Reverend Barry C. Knestout, D.D. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bishop Barry C. Knestout". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Pope Francis Names Auxiliary Bishop of Washington as New Bishop of Richmond | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ a b "Bishop Barry Christopher Knestout". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ Palmo, Rocco (November 19, 2008). "The Visit Over, It's Gong Time". Whispers in the Loggia.
- ^ "Richmond lists 42 priests accused of sexually abusing minors". WTOP News. February 13, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Mirshahi, Dean (June 23, 2020). "Despite Vatican's ruling, Virginia priest who blogs about clergy sex abuse remains defiant". WAVY.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Catholic Diocese of Richmond to pay $6.2M to sexual abuse victims". richmondfreepress.com. October 22, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Bishop condemns FBI memo that sought to link Latin Mass to violent extremism". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved January 9, 2024.