Pope Francis names Fr. Ned Shlesinger Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta, Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh (May 15, 2017)

This morning, it was announced that Father Bernard E. Shlesinger, III, a priest of the Diocese of Raleigh, will be ordained a bishop and will serve as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

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.

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.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. this morning, May 15, 2017, to introduce and welcome Bishop-Elect Shlesinger. More information and a link to the press conference will be provided on our Facebook page.

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has named Father Bernard E. Shlesinger, III, a priest of the Diocese of Raleigh, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Atlanta. Father Shlesinger,57, currently serves as Director of Spiritual Formation at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, May 15, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bernard Shlesinger was born December 17, 1960. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1983. He went on to attend Theological College in Washington, DC (Pre-Theology/Philosophy) before attending Pontifical Gregorian University where he earned a B.A. in Sacred Theology in 1995. He then began Licentiate of Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) studies at the Angelicum (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome) that same year. He was ordained a priest on June 22, 1996.

Father Shlesinger also served in the US Air Force from 1983 to 1990. An Air Force pilot who retired as Captain, he flew the C130E Hercules while stationed at Pope AFB, in Fayetteville, NC.

Assignments after ordination included: parochial vicar at St. Mary, Wilmington, NC, 1996-1998; Pastor at our Our Lady of Guadalupe parish as well as Assistant Vocation Director, Newton Grove, NC (1998-2007); Director of Vocations and Seminary Formation, Diocese of Raleigh (2007-2013); Administrator, Maria Reina de las Americas, Mount Olive, NC (2010-2012); Director of Spiritual Formation, Theology Division, St. Charles Borremeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, 2013 to present. Other responsibilities include: vicar forane, Newton Grove Deanery.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta comprises 21,445 square miles. It has a total population of 7,048,083 people of which 1,023,594 or 14.5 percent, are Catholic. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory has been archbishop of Atlanta since 2005. The archdiocese currently has one active auxiliary bishop, Bishop Luis R. Zarama.