Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, 75, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Paterson and has named Father Kevin J. Sweeney, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn as Bishop-elect of Paterson.

Bishop-elect Sweeney was born on January 17, 1970, in Elmhurst, New York and was ordained to the priesthood on June 28, 1997, for the Diocese of Brooklyn. Father Sweeney graduated from St. John’s University, Queens, New York in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts and received a Master of Divinity from Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, New York in 1997.

Father Sweeney’s assignments in the Diocese of Brooklyn after ordination include: Parochial Vicar at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in Jamaica (1997-2003); Coordinator of the Irish Apostolate (1999-2001); Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Sorrows, Corona (2003-2004); Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Brooklyn (2004-2010); Chaplain at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Brooklyn (2005); Administrator at St. Michael Parish, Brooklyn (2010-2012); Spiritual Director at Jovenes de Valor (2010-2013). His service includes membership on the Seminary Admissions Board (2010-present); Presbyteral Council (2011-2016); Dean of the Brooklyn 8 Deanery (2013-present); Vocations Representative (2014-present); and the Priest Personnel Assignment Board (2017-present). Bishop-elect Sweeney, who speaks both English and Spanish, is currently Pastor of St. Michael Church in Brooklyn where he has served since March 2012.

The Diocese of Paterson is comprised of 1,214 square miles in the State of New Jersey and has a total population of 1,153,982 of which 430,000 are Catholic.

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