WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Edward K. Braxton, 75, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Belleville and has named Father Michael G. McGovern, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago as Bishop-elect of Belleville.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on April 3, 2020 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect McGovern was born on August 1, 1964 and ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 1994 for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Father McGovern graduated from Loyola University, Chicago, in 1990, and holds a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois. His assignments in the Archdiocese of Chicago after ordination include: Associate Pastor of Queen of the University Parish (1995-1998) and St. Mary Parish (1998-1999); Associate Chancellor (1998-1999); Vice Chancellor (1999-2000); and Archbishop’s Delegate for Extern and International Priests (2000-2002). Father McGovern has also served as Associate Pastor of St. Juliana Parish (2003-2004), Pastor of St. Mary Parish (2004-2016) and as Dean of one of the deaneries of the archdiocese since 2007. He is currently Pastor of St. Raphael the Archangel Parish where he has served since 2016.

The Diocese of Belleville is comprised of 11,678 square miles in the State of Illinois and has a total population of 841,814 of which 90,968 are Catholic.

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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Pope Francis, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, Bishop Edward K. Braxton, Father Michael McGovern, Diocese of Belleville, Archdiocese of Chicago.

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