WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford, Conn., and named as his successor Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio.
Archbishop Mansell, who has headed the Hartford Archdiocese since 2003, is 76. Canon law requires bishops to turn in their resignation to the pope at 75.
A native of Detroit, Archbishop Blair, 64, was installed as Toledo’s bishop in 2003.
The changes were announced Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C., by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.
Archbishop Blair will be installed in Hartford Dec. 16 during a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph.
He will be “warmly welcomed by the clergy, religious and laypeople of the archdiocese,” Archbishop Mansell said.
“Hartford is a beautiful archdiocese with tremendous developments that show us to be always seeking better experiences of church. It has been a special privilege for me to serve for the last 10 years as archbishop,” he added.
Archbishop Mansell also announced that in retirement, he will live at the rectory of St. Augustine Church in South Glastonbury, Conn.
In a farewell letter to all in the Toledo Diocese, Archbishop Blair wrote: “Whether we are deacons, priests or bishops, we all know that we are to serve where we are called. So I accept the new appointment from the Holy Father as God’s will for me, and I embrace the challenge of making a new home in Hartford. At the same time it will not be easy for me to leave all of you.”
“In my life I have experienced a variety of assignments – parochial, educational, administrative – in my home Archdiocese of Detroit, in Rome and here in Toledo,” he continued. “I learned early on that whatever the position or the place, the true gift of God is to be found in the people with whom you live and work.
“I leave behind many co-workers and friends in this diocese whom I shall dearly miss, together with all of you. Thank you for your kindness and cooperation, your support and prayers.”
Archbishop Blair was born April 12, 1949, in Detroit. He attended Detroit’s Sacred Heart Seminary and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He earned a licentiate in sacred theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, in 1978 and a doctorate in sacred theology in 1997 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome.
Ordained a priest of the Detroit Archdiocese June 26, 1976, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop of that archdiocese Aug. 24, 1999 and named bishop of Toledo in 2003.
Born in Manhattan, Archbishop Mansell was ordained a priest of the New York Archdiocese Dec. 19, 1962. He was ordained a New York auxiliary bishop Jan. 6, 1993. He was appointed bishop of Buffalo in April, 1995 and then became Hartford’s archbishop in October, 2003.
