WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Msgr. Gregory Studerus, Rt. Rev. Elias Lorenzo, O.S.B., and Rev. Michael Saporito as Auxiliary Bishops of Newark.

Monsignor Studerus is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark and currently serves as Pastor of St. Joseph of the Palisades Church in West New York, NJ. Rt. Rev. Elias Lorenzo, O.S.B. is a monk of St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, NJ and serves as Abbot President of the American Cassinese Benedictine Congregation. Father Michael Saporito is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark and currently serves as Pastor of St. Helen Parish in Westfield, NJ. The appointments were publicized today in Washington, D.C. by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect Studerus was born March 31, 1948 in West Orange, NJ. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education (1970) from Montclair State College. He received his Master of Divinity from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark on May 31, 1980.

Assignments after ordination include: Curate at St. Aloysius Parish (1980) where he founded and developed the Spanish community; Pastor at St. Bridget Parish (1990-1997); Pastor at Parish of Resurrection (including St. Michael, St. Bridget, St. Peter and St. Boniface) (1997-2005). Monsignor Studerus has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council (1991-1994), as well as Dean of the Jersey City Downtown Deanery (1991-1998 and 2002-2005), and the Dean of the Hudson North Deanery (2013-2016), and Episcopal Vicar of Hudson County (2015). He was named a Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope Benedict XVI with the title of “Monsignor” in 2005. He has been serving as Pastor of St. Joseph of the Palisades Church in West New York, NJ since 2005.

Bishop-elect Lorenzo was born October 6, 1960, in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (1982) from Don Bosco College Seminary in Newton, NJ. In 1983, Abbot Lorenzo entered Saint Mary’s Abbey, Benedictine Monastery, American Cassinese Congregation in Morristown, NJ. In 1985, he made his First Profession, and his Solemn Profession in 1988, both at St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, NJ. He was ordained a priest on June 24, 1989.

Abbot Lorenzo also holds a Master of Arts in Liturgical Theology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN; a Master of Art in Education in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, and a Licentiate in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. From 1983 to 2005, Abbot Lorenzo held different faculty, administrative and leadership positions at Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ. He was also Director of Liturgy at Saint Mary’s Abbey (1988-1998), Prior of Saint Mary’s Abbey (1995-2002), and Rector of Abbey Church (1995-2009).

Abbot Lorenzo’s service includes the Paterson Diocesan Liturgical Commission (1988-2000), Chairman of the Paterson Diocesan Liturgical Commission (1991-2000), President of Abbey Woods (senior health care/housing) (2001-2005), Liaison for Abbey Review Board regarding cases of sexual misconduct (2002), and Vicar for Religious in the Diocese of Metuchen (2005-2009). Additionally, his work has included: Prior of the Primatial Abbey of Sant’ Anselmo, Rome (2009-2016); Procurator General for American Benedictine monks and nuns (2009-2016); President of the International Benedictine Confederation (2011-2016); and Canonical Counsel for Praesidium, Inc. (2007-2009) where he currently serves on their advisory board. His work as a member of the advisory board for Operation Smile International (1999-2009) has taken him on numerous international medical missions. Abbot Lorenzo is a founding member of the International Commission for Benedictine Education (1999-present), President of the International Commission for Benedictine Education (2013-present), Abbot President of the American Cassinese Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict (2016-present), and a member of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, as well as a member of the Union of Superior General (2016-present).

Father Saporito was born May 3, 1962. He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (1984) and a Master of Divinity from the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, South Orange, NJ (1992). He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark on May 30, 1992.

Father Saporito’s assignments after ordination include various parishes throughout the State of New Jersey: Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Parish in West Orange (1992-1994), St. Peter the Apostle Parish in River Edge (1994-1999), Our Lady of the Visitation Parish in Paramus (1999-2001), and St. Elizabeth in Wyckoff (2001-2004). From 2004 to 2011, Father Saporito served as Pastor at St. Joseph in Maplewood, NJ, and since 2011, he has been serving as a pastor at St. Helen Parish in Westfield, NJ.   

The Archdiocese of Newark is comprised of 513 square miles in the state of New Jersey and has a total population of 2,965,397 of which 1,220,143 are Catholic. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR is the current archbishop of Newark.

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Keywords: Bishops appointment, Pope Francis, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Bishop-elect Gregory Studerus, Bishop-elect Elias Lorenzo, O.S.B., Bishop-elect Michael Saporito, Archdiocese of Newark, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin.

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