Barry C. Knestout

Barry Christopher Knestout (born June 11, 1962) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Knestout serves as the thirteenth bishop of the Diocese of Richmond.[1][2] Previously, he served as the priest secretary for James Cardinal Hickey and Theodore McCarrick and then as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, assisting Donald Cardinal Wuerl.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Barry Christopher Knestout
Bishop of Richmond
Diocese	Richmond
Appointed	December 5, 2017
Installed	January 12, 2018
Predecessor	Francis X. DiLorenzo
Orders
Ordination	June 24, 1989 by James Aloysius Hickey
Consecration	December 29, 2008 by Donald Wuerl, Francisco González Valer, and Martin Holley
Personal details
Born	(1962-06-11) June 11, 1962 Cheverly, Maryland
Previous post	Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
Alma mater	Mount St. Mary's Seminary
Motto	CHRIST OUR HOPE

Styles of Barry Christopher Knestout
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Early life

Knestout was born in Cheverly, Maryland, to Thomas (died 1997) and Caroline Knestout. His father was a deacon who served as a cryptologist for the National Security Agency and as the director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Washington.[3] One of nine children, he has five brothers and three sisters.[4] A younger brother, Mark, is also a priest, incardinated in the Archdiocese of Washington.[5]

As a child, Knestout lived with his family in Ankara, Turkey, for four years before returning to the United States, where he attended St. Pius X School in Bowie (Prince George County, Maryland) and Bowie Senior High School.[6] He then studied at the University of Maryland, from where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in architecture in 1984.[6] In 1985, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, earning a Master's in Divinity (1988) and a Master of Arts in moral theology (1989).[7]

Priesthood

Knestout was ordained to the priesthood by James Cardinal Hickey on June 24, 1989.[8] He then served as associate pastor at St. Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda until 1993 and at St. Peter Parish in Waldorf from 1993 to 1994.[6] Knestout was named priest-secretary to Cardinal Hickey in 1994, and remained in that position until Hickey's death in 2004; he also served in the same capacity to Theodore Cardinal McCarrick from 2003 to 2004. He was raised to the rank of monsignor in 1999, and was executive director of the archdiocesan office of youth ministry from 2001 to 2003.[6] Knestout became pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring in 2004, and archdiocesan secretary for pastoral life and social concerns in 2006.[6] In April 2007, he was named vicar general and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese.

Knestout co-chaired the Papal Visit Planning Committee in 2008, overseeing many of the preparations for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in April of that year. He also oversaw a contest for architecture students from the Catholic University of America to design the altar and chair used by Benedict XVI at the Mass at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.[6] He was later awarded a Holy Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for his work.[9] In his work planning the papal visit, Knestout collaborated with his brother, Mark, who was serving as the director of the Archdiocese of Washington's Office of Worship at the time.[5] His brother currently serves as pastor of St. Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda.[10]

Episcopal career

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

Coat of Arms as Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

On November 18, 2008, Knestout was appointed titular Bishop of Leavenworth and an auxiliary bishop for Washington by Pope Benedict XVI.[8] He was consecrated on December 29 by Archbishop Donald Wuerl, with Bishops Francisco González Valer, S.F., and Martin Holley serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.[8]

He was the first native of Prince George's County to serve as a bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington.[5]

Bishop of Richmond

On December 5, 2017, Knestout was appointed the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Richmond by Pope Francis.[1] He was installed as Bishop of Richmond on January 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.[2]

See also

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

1. White, Christopher (December 5, 2017). "Bishop Barry Knestout tapped to lead the diocese of Richmond". Crux. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
2. "Bishop-designate Barry C. Knestout". Retrieved December 5, 2017.
3. "Deacons Son: A New Bishop in Washington, D.C." Catholic Online. December 30, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011.
4. Zimmerman, Mark (November 18, 2008). "Pope Benedict names Msgr. Knestout as auxiliary bishop for Washington". My Catholic Standard.
5. Zimmerman, Mark (December 30, 2008). "Bishop Barry Knestout ordained as new auxiliary bishop for Washington". My Catholic Standard.
6. "Bishop Barry C. Knestout". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
7. "Pope Names Msgr. Barry Knestout Auxiliary Bishop of Washington". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. November 18, 2008.
8. "Bishop Barry Christopher Knestout". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
9. Palmo, Rocco (November 19, 2008). "The Visit Over, It's Gong Time". Whispers in the Loggia.
10. Zimmermann, Mark (December 5, 2017). "Meet the new Bishop of Richmond". The Catholic Virginian. The Catholic Standard. Retrieved December 5, 2017.

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond Official Site

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Francis X. DiLorenzo	Bishop of Richmond 2018–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by –	Auxiliary Bishop of Washington 2008–2018	Succeeded by -