Frank Caggiano
Frank Joseph Caggiano (born March 29, 1959) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Bishop of Bridgeport. Prior to his appointment to Bridgeport, Caggiano was an Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Frank Joseph Caggiano | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Bridgeport | |
 Portrait of Bishop Caggiano | |
| Diocese | Bridgeport |
| Appointed | July 31, 2013 |
| Installed | September 19, 2013 |
| Predecessor | William E. Lori |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 16, 1987 by Francis John Mugavero |
| Consecration | August 22, 2006 by Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio, Thomas Vose Daily, and Ignatius Anthony Catanello |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 29, 1959 Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Previous post | Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn |
| Motto | JESUS CHRIST IS LORD |
| Styles of Frank Joseph Caggiano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Early life
Frank Caggiano was born in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, New York, the younger of two children of Arnaldo and Gennarina Caggiano. His parents were Italian immigrants who came to the United States from the town of Caggiano, in the province of Salerno, in 1958.[1] He attended Ss. Simon and Jude Elementary School in Gravesend and graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan in 1977. He then entered Yale University as a political science major, but later decided to enter the priesthood. In 1978, he entered Cathedral College in Douglaston, from where Caggiano obtained a B.A. in philosophy in 1981.
Upon graduating from Cathedral College, Caggiano worked in the New York metropolitan area for the Gregg Division of McGraw Hill Publishing Company. He then went on to attend the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington and earned a M.Div..
Priesthood
Caggiano was ordained a priest by Bishop Francis Mugavero on May 16, 1987,[2] and then served as associate pastor at St. Agatha Church in Bay Ridge and at St. Athanasius Church in Bensonhurst until 1991. After serving in ministry for a few years, Caggiano studied in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University, earning a Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1996: His thesis was entitled: The Eschatological Implications of the Notion of Recreation in the Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria.
He returned to the Diocese of Brooklyn after studying in Rome and became associate pastor of St. Jude Church in Canarsie in 1996, also serving as Dean of Formation for the Permanent Diaconate Program and Censor Librorum for the Diocese. He became pastor of St. Dominic Church in Bensonhurst in 1998 and taught theology at St. John's University's Staten Island campus and at St. Joseph's College. He also preached at the Youth 2000 Summer Festival in Tipperary, Ireland.[1] He was named director of the Permanent Diaconate Office in 2002 and later Vicar for Evangelization and Pastoral Life in 2004. He was raised to the rank of Papal Chaplain by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
Episcopal career
Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn
On June 6, 2006, Caggiano was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn and Titular Bishop of Inis Cathaig by Pope Benedict XVI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 22 from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, with Bishops Thomas Daily and Ignatius Catanello serving as co-consecrators. Caggiano has participated in a number of World Youth Day gatherings.[1]
Bishop of Bridgeport
On July 31, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Caggiano the Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and he was installed on September 19.[3] In 2014, he convoked the 4th Synod of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the first in 32 years.[2] In an interview with America, Caggiano said that one of his first priorities as bishop is reaching out to the high percentage of Catholics in the diocese, who for whatever reasons, no longer attend Mass.[4]
In April 2019, Fairfield University's Murphy Center awarded Bishop Caggiano the "Bowler Award" in recognition of his pastoral contributions to the Diocese of Bridgeport.[5]
Caggiano commissioned a report released in October 2019 from former state Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg into the Diocese's handling of accusations of sexual abuse by its priests. Holzberg found that since 1953 some 71 priests had abused almost 300 people, with most cases dating to the 1960s and 1970s and none since 2008. He detailed how three bishops over forty years had consistently failed to fulfill their moral and legal responsibilities.[6]
In November 2019, Caggiano was elected to the board of Catholic Relief Services and then named to a three-year term as its chairman.[7]
References
- "Biography", Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport
- "Our Bishop: The Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano", The Cathedral Parish
- Altimari, Daniela (September 19, 2013). "Caggiano Becomes Bridgeport Bishop In Ceremony Of Hope". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- Salai SJ, Sean. "Church Reform from Below: An Interview with Bishop Frank Caggiano", America, July 27, 2014
- "Bishop Caggiano Honored by Fairfield University’s Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality", Fairfield University, June 17, 2019
- Altimari, Dave; Blanco, Amanda (October 1, 2019). "Bridgeport Diocese report on sex abuse among priests blames former Archbishop Edward Egan; nearly 300 individuals allegedly abused by 71 priests since 1953". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- "Bishop Caggiano named chairman of Catholic Relief Services board". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
External links
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William E. Lori |
Bishop of Bridgeport 2013 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by - |
Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn 2006 - 2013 |
Succeeded by - |
