Archbishop Mansell of Hartford Retires

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of New York native Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford, Conn., and named as his successor Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio.

Archbishop Mansell, a former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York who has headed the Hartford Archdiocese since 2003, is 76. Canon law requires bishops to turn in their resignation to the pope at 75.

A native of Detroit, Archbishop Blair, 64, was installed as Toledo’s bishop in 2003.

The changes were announced Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C. by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop Blair will be installed in Hartford Dec. 16 during a Mass to be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Cathedral

He will be “warmly welcomed by the clergy, religious and laypeople of the archdiocese,” Archbishop Mansell said.

“Hartford is a beautiful archdiocese with tremendous developments that show us to be always seeking better experiences of Church. It has been a special privilege for me to serve for the last 10 years as archbishop,” he added.

Archbishop Mansell also announced that in retirement, he will live at the rectory of St. Augustine’s Church in South Glastonbury, Conn.

Born in New York City, Archbishop Mansell was ordained a priest of the archdiocese in 1962. He was ordained a New York auxiliary bishop in 1993. He was appointed bishop of Buffalo in1995 and then became Hartford’s archbishop in 2003.

—CNS