Bishop-elect James F. Checchio, priest of the Diocese of Camden and former rector of Pontifical North American College in Rome, to be ordained and installed as fifth Bishop of Metuchen May 3
News Release 4/28/16
SOUTH PLAINFIELD – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen officially will welcome its new spiritual leader on May 3, when Bishop-elect James F. Checchio, 50, a priest of the Diocese of Camden, is ordained and installed as the fifth Bishop of Metuchen. Most recently, he served for ten years as rector of the Pontifical North American College, the American seminary in Rome. He succeeds Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski, 75, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Metuchen was accepted by Pope Francis on March 8.
On Tuesday, the Feast of Saints Philip and James, a Mass of Episcopal Ordination and Installation for Bishop-elect Checchio is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Church of the Sacred Heart, 149 South Plainfield Ave. The worship site was selected for its size. Approximately 1,200 people are expected to attend, including cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, religious brothers and sisters and laity representing each of the 90 parishes of the diocese, Catholic school communities, Catholic Charities, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, and the Catholic Center at Rutgers. Due to limited seating at the Church, attendance is by ticket only.
The Most Reverend John J. Myers, Metropolitan Archbishop of Newark, will serve as the principal consecrator, also referred to as the ordaining bishop, at the Mass.
Co-consecrating bishops will be The Most Reverend Paul G. Bootkoski, who has served as fourth bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen since April 2002, and The Most Reverend Dennis J. Sullivan, who has served as eighth bishop of the Diocese of Camden since Feb. 2013. The homilist will be The Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda, Apostolic Administrator and Archbishop-designate of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, who will formally be installed May 13.
The New Jersey bishops will be joined by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States from Oct. 19, 2011, to April 12, 2016, who represents Pope Francis; His Eminence Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop-Emeritus of Washington, D.C. and the founding Bishop of Metuchen; His Eminence Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York; His Eminence Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; His Eminence Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston; His Eminence Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles; His Eminence Cardinal William J. Levada, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and The Most Reverend James Patrick Green, Apostolic Nuncio to Peru.
To allow for greater participation of the faithful, the Diocese of Metuchen, in concert with the Diocese of Brooklyn, will air a live satellite broadcast of the Mass on NET TV, EWTN and CatholicTV. It also will be streamed online as it happens on the above television websites, as well as the diocesan website at http://diometuchen.org/ordination. Live coverage will begin with a 1:30 p.m. procession leading up to the 2 p.m. liturgy. Following the Mass, a link to the recording will be posted on the diocesan website for on-demand viewing.
Established on Nov. 19, 1981 by Pope St. John Paul II, the Diocese of Metuchen is comprised of more than 640,000 Catholics, who live, work and worship in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties.
