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	O'Brien to Lead Order of Knights in Rome Baltimore Sun August 29, 2011 http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/faith/2011/08/baltimore_archbishop_obrien.html Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien has been chosen to head a Catholic order of knights based in Rome, the Vatican announced Monday, an appointment likely to move O'Brien closer to becoming a cardinal, but also will make him the first of Baltimore's archbishops not to finish his career here. Pope Benedict XVI named O'Brien to lead the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a 1,000-year-old group charged with supporting the Christian community and sacred sites of the Holy Land. O'Brien, the spiritual leader of the Baltimore area's half-million Catholics, will continue administering the archdiocese until his successor is named until his own successor is named, the Baltimore archdiocese said in a news release early Monday. The archdiocese has scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. The press release follows, after the jump. POPE NAMES ARCHBISHOP O'BRIEN TO VATICAN POST PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR 10 A.M. TODAY Pope Benedict XVI today named Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien, 72, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He succeeds Cardinal John Foley, who retired in February for reasons of health. Archbishop O'Brien had served as 15th Archbishop of Baltimore since October 1, 2007 and will serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until his successor is named. Archbishop O'Brien will be available to the media at a press conference today: Monday, August 29, 2011 10 a.m. Catholic Center, 320 Cathedral Street Archbishop O'Brien was ordained a priest in 1965 and a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 1996, serving as Archbishop of the Military Services from 1997-2007. During his priesthood, Archbishop O'Brien has served as chaplain at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Vietnam. He was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore, the first Catholic diocese in the United States, in July 2007. Prior to his ordination as bishop, Archbishop O'Brien served as Rector of St. Joseph's Seminary in New York and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is an ancient Catholic Order under the auspices of the Vatican. The Order seeks to promote and defend Christianity in the Holy Land and to support the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a priority of Pope Benedict XVI.
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