ATLANTA, Georgia – This morning, Pope Francis named Father Bernard E. (Ned) Shlesinger, a priest of the Diocese of Raleigh, as Auxiliary Bishop of The Archdiocese of Atlanta.
The Archdiocese of Atlanta will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. this morning, May 15, 2017, at their office at 2401 Lake Park Drive SE Smyrna, Georgia, 30080, to introduce and welcome Bishop-elect Shlesinger.
A statement from Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory:
“With deep gratitude, I want to thank His Holiness Pope Francis for the appointment of The Reverend Bernard E. Shlesinger, III, a Priest of the Diocese of Raleigh as an Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta. Bishop-Elect Shlesinger [Ned] comes to us from a diocese within the Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta where he has longed enjoyed the endorsement of the bishops of our Province and the well-deserved respect, admiration, and affection of the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Diocese of Raleigh. I warmly welcome him to the Archdiocese of Atlanta and I look forward to working with him in service to this local Church.
Ned is a man of prayer, prudence, and apostolic zeal. He has served in many different capacities within the Diocese of Raleigh as a Pastor, Vocation Director, Member of the Presbyteral Council, and recently as Director of Spiritual Formation for Saint Charles Borromeo Theologate in Philadelphia. He is eminently qualified to assume these new responsibilities as Auxiliary Bishop in Atlanta and I welcome him with an enthusiastic and jubilant heart. I am certain that we all will come to know and love him and discover how truly fortunate we are to have been sent this man of faith and pastoral skill.
His Episcopal Ordination will occur at Christ the King Cathedral at a soon to be determined date.”
The Archdiocese of Atlanta encompasses 21,445 square miles across 69 counties in north and central Georgia and is home to 1.1 million Catholics.
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