Congratulations to Our Own Father Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Columbus

Bishop-elect Fernandes

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, announced today that Father Earl K. Fernandes, of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, has been appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio. Bishop-elect Fernandes will be consecrated and installed as the 13^th Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Scroll down for a letter from Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr regarding this good news, a short biography of Bishop-elect Fernandes, Bishop-elect Fernandes’ CV and more.

April 2, 2022

A Statement from Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today the Holy See announced that Pope Francis has appointed Father Earl K. Fernandes of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati the thirteenth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus. Father Fernandes will be consecrated and installed on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. We will miss his incredible intellect, unflagging energy, and concern for all people, but know that these traits will serve him well as he expands his ministry to shepherd the faithful people of Columbus.

Bishop-elect Fernandes has ministered to the people of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in many ways since his ordination to the priesthood on May 18, 2002. Over the past 20 years, he has served as dean, pastor, parochial vicar, seminary academic dean and associate professor, high school teacher, retreat leader, and regular contributor to The Catholic Telegraph and other publications. Father Fernandes also served on the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. for three and a half years. Through all his assignments, Father Fernandes has been an ever-joyful witness to the goodness, beauty and truth of the Catholic faith.

Please join me in congratulating Bishop-elect Fernandes on this joyous news. Let us keep our beloved brother in prayer as he starts this new ministry.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

Bishop-elect Earl K. Fernandes

Bishop-elect Earl K. Fernandes is currently pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Cincinnati, OH. From 2016-2019, he was a member of the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., and continues to serve the Apostolic Nuncio. From 2008-2016, he was the Dean of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology in Cincinnati and an associate professor of moral theology. He holds a doctorate in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Pregnancy Center East in Cincinnati, where he has served as a member of the Advisory Board since 2008. He is a member of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. From 2012-2016, he was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Catholic Theological Schools. Since 2012, he has been a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Bishop-elect Fernandes is a native of Toledo, OH, the fourth of five boys, and the son of Indian immigrants. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo and moved to Cincinnati to study at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine before discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Bishop-elect Fernandes enjoys sports, movies and hiking. He is an avid reader and writer and has particularly strong interest in education, culture and languages. Most of all, he enjoys people.

He has given presentations, talks and retreats around the country and has written articles in three collections of essays published by the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, which also published his book in 2014. Bishop-elect Fernandes’ scholarly essays have also appeared in Seminary Journal, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, the Linacre Quarterly, Journal of the National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry. His articles in the latter two addressed issues of persons with disabilities. Bishop-elect Fernandes is also a monthly contributor to The Catholic Telegraph, the official magazine of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Hear Bishop-elect Fernandes share his vocation story.

Watch Bishop-elect Fernandes reflect on the power of prayer.

BISHOP-ELECT FERNANDES: Curriculum Vitae

Ordained and Elevated:

Ordination to Diaconate: September 29, 2001, St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio

Ordination to Priesthood: May 18, 2002, St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio

Major Seminary/Graduate Theology: Athenaeum of Ohio-Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1997-2002

Diocese: Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Current Ministerial Position

Pastor, St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, Cincinnati, Ohio (November 1, 2019–Present)

Special Assistant to the Apostolic Nuncio (November 1, 2019-Present)

Appointed Delegate to the Congress on the Laity by James Francis Cardinal Stafford, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity

Previous Ministerial Positions

Secretary, Apostolic Nunciature (March 2016 – October 2019), Washington, D.C.

Parochial Administrator, Sacred Heart Church (July 1, 2014 – March 6, 2016), Cincinnati, OH

Associate Professor of Moral Theology, Athenaeum of Ohio-Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West (July 1, 2008- March 2016), Cincinnati, OH

Dean, Special Studies, Athenaeum of Ohio (July 1, 2012 – March 2016), Cincinnati, OH

Dean, Athenaeum of Ohio (July 1, 2011 – March 2016), Cincinnati, OH

Dean, Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West, (July 1, 2008 – March 2016), Cincinnati, OH

Assistant: Guardian Angels Church (2008-2014), Cincinnati, OH

Faculty, Religion department, Lehman Catholic High School, (August 2002-July 2004), Sidney, OH

Parochial Vicar, Holy Angels Church, (July 2002-July 2004), Sidney, OH

Education

Academia Alfonsiana, S.T.D., Doctorate in Sacred Theology (Theologia Morali), Concentration: Bioethics, summa cum laude; 2007, Rome, Italy
Academia Alfonsiana, S.T.L., Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Theologia Morali), summa cum laude, 2006, Rome, Italy
Athenaeum of Ohio-Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West, M.Div., Master of Divinity with distinction, 2002, Cincinnati, OH
Athenaeum of Ohio-Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West, M.A.T., Master of Arts in Theology with distinction; 2002; Cincinnati, OH
The University of Toledo, B.Sc, Biology, Summa cum laude, (university, college, and departmental honors; Honors Program) June 1994, Toledo, OH

Other Education

Casa Balthasar, year of residence and studies (philosophy, theology), 1996-97, Rome, Italy
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, medical student, successfully completed M1-2, 1994-96, Cincinnati, OH
The University of Salford, successfully completed third year of undergraduate [Physiology/Physics track]1992-1993, Salford, United Kingdom

Memberships and Special Training

Knights of Columbus: Fourth degree member; Madonna Council, Cincinnati, OH (1999 – Present)
National Catholic Bioethics Center, member (2008 – Present)
Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, member (2009 – 2016)
Catholic Medical Association, member and Chaplain, Southwest Ohio CMA guild, (2008-2016)
National Association of Catholic Theological Schools, member (2008 – 2016)
Canon Law Marriage Tribunal Training, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., June 2013.
National Catholic Educational Association, Washington, D.C. (2002-2004)

Committees, Offices, and Board Memberships

Board of Trustees Member, Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, OH (November 2019 – present)
Athenaeum Senate Executive Committee, Member (July 1, 2008 – March 4, 2016)
Board of Trustees Member, Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (August 2011 – 2014)
Catholic Chaplain, Beechwood Home, Cincinnati, OH (October 2010 – March 2016)
Emergency Chaplain, Mercy Anderson Hospital, Cincinnati, OH (2008 – 2010)
Advisory Board, Pregnancy Center East, Cincinnati, OH (2009 – present)
Advisory Board, Ruah Woods (Theology of the Body Institute), Cincinnati, OH (2008 – present)
Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Judge (2013 – present)
Archdiocesan Committee on Lay Ecclesial Ministry Standards, Cincinnati, OH (2011-2013)
Archdiocesan Committee on Catholic Identity in Schools, Cincinnati, OH (2011 – 2012)
Archdiocesan Committee on High School Curriculum Revision, Cincinnati, OH (2011 – 2013)
Archdiocesan Deacon Advisory Board, Cincinnati, OH (July 2008 – 2011)
Archdiocesan Censor Librorum, Cincinnati, OH (February 2008 – Present); Theological Censor for Ruah Woods Press Theology of the Body Rooted Curriculum
Executive Committee – National Association of Catholic Theological Schools, formerly Midwest Association of Theological Schools (2012 – Feb 2016)

Research Grants

“Seminaries and Science” Grant, John Templeton Foundation

$10,000 grant faculty through John Carroll University to develop, execute, and study a course integrating science and religion (“Only Wonder Comprehends”) 2016

Selected Book Contributions

“Cana Contemplation.” In Culture, Contemplation and Seminary Formation. Omaha, NE: Institute for Priestly Formation, 2017.
“The Virtues of Sonship.” In The Priest as Beloved Son. Omaha, NE: Institute for Priestly Formation, 2015.
“Encountering Christ in teaching and prayer.” In Seminary Theology II: Theology and Spiritual Direction in Dialogue. Omaha, NE: Institute for Priestly Formation, 2011.

Selected Peer-Reviewed and Other Scholarly Publications

“Address of His Eminence Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State: ‘The Council: A Prophecy that continues with Pope Francis’”, Forthcoming in The Jurist – English translation, given at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
“Cana Contemplation.” In Culture, Contemplation and Seminary Formation. Omaha, NE: Institute for Priestly Formation, 2017.
“The Virtues of Sonship.” In The Priest as Beloved Son. Omaha, NE: Institute for Priestly Formation, 2015.
“The demands of human dignity: Sexuality in the young person with intellectual disabilities.” Linacre Quarterly 81, no. 4 (October 2014): 343-362. (with Ashley K. Fernandes, MD, PhD)
Book Review. “Resting on the Heart of Christ: The Vocation and Spirituality of the Seminary Theologian and Seminary Theology: Teaching in a Contemplative Way,” Nova et Vetera, English Edition, Vol. 10, No. 4 (2012): 1215-1219.
“Seminary formation and homosexuality: changing sexual morality and the Church’s response.” Linacre Quarterly 78, no. 3 (2011): 306–329.
“Pastoral Formation: The Heart of the Matter,” Homiletic and Pastoral Review CXI, No. 7 (April 2011): 76-77.
“Encountering Christ in teaching and prayer.” In Seminary Theology II: Theology and Spiritual Direction in Dialogue. Omaha, NE: Institute for Priestly Formation, 2011.
“The Demands of Human Dignity,” Journal of the National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry (Fall 2010).
“Ongoing Formation in Moral Theology: Saint Alphonsus Liguori and the Priests of Today.” Seminary Journal 15, no. 1 (April 2009): 51–57.
“Sexuality and Marriage in the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians,” The Year of Saint Paul, ed. Terrence Callan (Cincinnati: Athenaeum of Ohio, 2008)
Marital Sexual Communion and the Challenges of AIDS: A Critical Inquiry into the Responses of the Scientific and Political Communities and of the Catholic Church to the Crisis of HIV and AIDS, S.T.D. dissertation, Rome: Academia Alfonsiana, November 15, 2007.

Selected International and National Presentations

Selected Retreats and Days of Recollection

July 18-22, 2013, Retreat for Permanent Deacon Candidates of the Diocese of Tulsa, Subiaco Arkansas
August 20, 2015, “Seminary Formation and Priestly Celibacy,” Day of Recollection, St. Joseph Seminary (Dunwoodie), Yonkers, New York
February 12-16, 2017, Retreat for Priests, Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands,
November 17, 2017, Day of Recollection for Seminarians, St. John Paul II Seminary, Washington, DC
Retreat for Priests, Archdiocese of Miami, October 22-26, 2018
Day of Recollection for Priests, Diocese of Arlington, December 16, 2019

Bioethics

“Moral Challenges to the Family in the 21st Century: Experiences of a Catholic Family,” panel presentation at The University of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture Fall Conference, 2008 (with Dr. Sydney Fernandes, MD; Trevor Fernandes, JD; Ashley K. Fernandes, MD, PhD)
January 20, 2008, “Marital Sexual Communion and the Challenge of AIDS”, Manchester University, United Kingdom
March 11, 2008, “Marital Sexual Communion and the Challenge of AIDS”, Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, Norwood, Ohio
April 21, 2008, “Marital Sexual Communion and the Challenge of AIDS”, Faculty Colloquium, Athenaeum of Ohio, Cincinnati
October 23, 2010, “Marital Sexual Communion and the Challenge of AIDS,” Lecture following the White Mass, Holy Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, OH.
May 19, 2010, “Artificial Reproductive Technologies: Faith and Science,” University of Dayton, Sears Recital Hall, sponsored by Catholic Medical Association Physicians’ Guild of SW Ohio.
Sept 25, 2013, “End of Life Issues and POLST,” Address to the Catholic Medical Association, Springfield, IL

Education and Seminary Formation

September 10-13, 2010, Seminar for Seminary Theologians, Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha, NE
October 6, 2012, Midwest Association of Theological Schools, Schaumburg, Illinois, “Seminary Formation and Contemplation: A response to Dr. Janet Smith”
March 26, 2013 Institute for Priestly Formation Seminar, “The Priest as Beloved Son: the Virtues of Sonship,” Athenaeum of Ohio, Cincinnati
Sept 15-16, 2013 Catholic High School Principals’ In-Service Day: Catholic Moral Teaching, IN
June 25, 2014, “Ethics of Emerging Technology,” NCEA, University of Dayton
August 20, 2015, “Seminary Formation and Priestly Celibacy,” Day of Recollection, St. Joseph Seminary (Dunwoodie), Yonkers, NY
September 8-10, 2017, Seminar on “Western Culture, Contemplation and Seminary Formation in a time of Waning Faith”, Institute for Priestly Formation, Creighton University, Omaha, “The Wedding Feast of Cana and Contemplation: Implications for Seminary Formation.”

Languages, Other Skills, & Hobbies

Languages:

Fluency: English, Italian
Intermediate: Latin, Spanish
Reading and comprehension: French

Public Speaking/Debate: Notre Dame Academy High School, Toledo, OH, Head Debate and Speech Coach, 1992-1993; competitive high school varsity debater (1986-1990)

Hobbies: History, Hiking/Outdoors, Travel