Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron speaks during the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore Nov. 11, 2019. CNS photo/Bob Roller

Archbishop Bernard Hebda welcomed “with deep joy, and gratitude to Pope Francis” the June 2 announcement that the pope had appointed Bishop Robert Barron to lead the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

“I have long admired his ministry and am delighted that he will now be bringing his rich experience and considerable gifts as a teacher and preacher to the people of southern Minnesota, building on the firm foundation that is Bishop John Quinn’s legacy after 13 years of faithful ministry as Bishop of Winona-Rochester,” Archbishop Hebda said in a June 2 statement. “I very much look forward to collaborating with Bishop Barron as he joins the bishops of our state in striving to provide pastoral leadership after the heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd.”

Bishop Barron, 62, is founder of Catholic media apostolate Word on Fire and a well-known author and apologist on radio and social media. He is the host of the documentary film series “Catholicism.”

A native of Chicago, he was ordained a priest in 1986. After doctoral studies in Paris, he taught systematic theology at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary near Chicago from 1992 to 2015, and served as its president-rector from 2012 to 2015. In 2015, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, the largest U.S. archdiocese by population, where he focused his pastoral ministry on the Santa Barbara region.

Bishop Barron succeeds Bishop Quinn, 76, who was appointed to the then-Diocese of Winona in 2009. In 2018, the Holy See modified the diocese’s name to Winona-Rochester.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced June 2 that Pope Francis had accepted Bishop Quinn’s resignation and Bishop Barron had been named as his successor. It is customary for bishops to submit their resignation to Pope Francis at age 75.

Established in 1889, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester includes Minnesota’s 20 southernmost counties, stretching the width of the state. According to its website, it includes 107 parishes; four high schools; 30 junior high, elementary and preschools; and Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona. It has a Catholic population of about 134,000 with 90 priests. It is one of six dioceses in the state.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which Archbishop Hebda has led since 2015.

“As the Church prepares for the Solemnity of Pentecost,” he said in the statement, “please join me in praying for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Bishop Barron, Bishop Quinn and the faithful of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, particularly in this time of transition.”

In a statement shared through Word on Fire, Bishop Barron said he is “overjoyed and humbled” by the appointment.

“The bishop of a diocese is, first and foremost, a spiritual father to the priests and people who have been entrusted to his care,” he wrote. “My prayer this morning is that the Lord will give me the grace always to be a good father. The bishop is also, as Pope Francis often teaches, a shepherd with the smell of the sheep — out in front of the flock in one sense, leading the way, but also with the flock, giving encouragement, and in back of the flock in order to gather in those who have fallen behind. I pray also for the grace to be just that kind of shepherd to the Catholics of southern Minnesota.”

He said “it is with real sadness in my heart that I take leave of the good people of the Santa Barbara pastoral region. Together, we made our way through fire, flood, mudslides, and COVID, and I will never forget your kindness to me and never cease to draw strength from your faith.”

He confirmed that his work with Word on Fire will continue with his new role. “Through our gifted staff, we will keep bringing you regular videos, interviews, articles, sermons, and daily reflections,” he said. “We will press forward with the Word on Fire Institute, the Word on Fire Bible series, the Liturgy of the Hours initiative, our many books and YouTube shows, and more exciting things coming down the pipeline.”

Bishop Barron thanked Word on Fire supporters, and asked for prayers for himself “as I begin this new adventure under the Lord’s providence” and the people of Diocese of Winona-Rochester.