Carey Priest Named Bishop in Kentucky

The Courier
March 12, 2015

http://thecourier.com/breaking-news/2015/03/12/carey-priest-named-bishop-in-kentucky-2/


Pope Francis today appointed Conventual Franciscan Father John Stowe of Carey as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington (Kentucky).

Stowe, 48, was pastor and rector of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey.

The Lexington position was left vacant when the pope appointed Bishop Ronald W. Gainer as the bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Stowe was born in Lorain. He attended Roman Catholic grade school and high school in the Cleveland area. He earned a master of divinity and a licentiate in sacred theology in church history from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California, now affiliated with Santa Clara University.

Stowe was an associate pastor and pastor in El Paso, Texas before becoming pastor and rector of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey in 2010.

The date and time of the Stowe’s ordination and installation as bishop has not yet been determined.

The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation was founded in 1875 and features a statue of Our Lady from that time brought from the mother shrine in Luxembourg. The Conventual Franciscans were given guardianship of the Shrine in 1912. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine each year from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, especially on the Feast of Mary’s Assumption in August.

Founded in 1988, the Diocese of Lexington is home to nearly 42,000 Roman Catholics from 50 counties in central and eastern Kentucky.