Vatican City, Oct 14, 2020 / 04:36 am
Pope Francis Wednesday appointed Fr. William "Bill" D. Byrne, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington and the presenter of a popular YouTube series, to lead the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Bishop-elect Byrne, 56, is also the younger brother of Sr. Deirdre "Dede" Byrne, POSC, a surgeon, retired army officer, and religious sister who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention in August.
Byrne has been a priest of Washington archdiocese for 26 years. Since 2015, he has been pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Maryland. He has been a member of the archdiocese's formation board since 2009.
The bishop-elect is also a columnist and a YouTuber, with a video series for the archdiocese on "Five Things," in which he highlights small ways people can grow closer to God.