Ordination and ministry
Scharfenberger received his priestly ordination on July 2, 1973, in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome by Bishop James Hickey, rector of the North American College. He was incardinated into his native diocese, the Diocese of Brooklyn. [7] [5] Following his 1973 ordination, the diocese assigned Scharfenberger as to the pastoral staffs at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Maspeth, New York and St. Ephrem Parish in Brooklyn, New York. [8]
Scharfenberger traveled again to Rome to attend the Alphonsian Academy of the Pontifical Lateran University, receiving a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1977. and a Licentiate of Canon Law from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1980. He graduated with a J.D. degree from Fordham University in New York City in 1990 and was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 1991. [5]
Scharfenberger served as pastor of St. Matthias Parish in Ridgewood, Queens, from 2003 to 2014. [5] In addition to doing pastoral work for decades, he held various roles in the diocesan curia. He served as a member of the diocesan tribunal, a judicial vicar, an adviser to the canonical ordinary, and a promoter of justice and member of the committee for sexually abused children. From 2013, Scharfenberger was the episcopal vicar for the Borough of Queens. [9]
Bishop of Albany
On February 11, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Scharfenberger as bishop of Albany. [10] He was consecrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan on April 10, 2014, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, with Bishops Howard Hubbard, and Nicholas DiMarzio acting as co-consecrators. [1] During his tenure, he has written a column for the diocesan newspaper, The Evangelist.
Scharfenberger has served as a consultor to the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, as well as five committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: the National Advisory Council, the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee, the Administrative Committee, the Committee on Priorities and Plans, and the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa. [11]
Scharfenberger was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2021 and underwent surgery. [12] Scharfenberger speaks fluent Italian, Spanish and German. He can celebrate a mass in Polish and knows some Hebrew, Russian and Portuguese. [3]
In March 2023, Scharfenberger announced that the diocese had filed for Chapter II bankruptcy protection. It was facing hundreds of legal claims from persons alleging that they had been victims of child sexual abuse. [13] In September 2023, Scharfenberger submitted his mandatory resignation letter to the Vatican upon the occasion of his 75th birthday. [14] As of August 2025, he continues to serve as bishop of Albany. [15]
Abortion
Scharfenberger advocates laws against abortion rights for women. In February 2017, Scharfenberger criticized three Catholic politicians, (Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, State Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and US Congressman Paul Tonko_ for supporting and attending a rally for Planned Parenthood. [16] In January 2019, Scharfenberger wrote an open letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in response to the passage of the 2019 state Reproductive Health Act:
I shudder to think of the consequences this law will wreak. You have already uttered harsh threats about the welcome you think pro-lifers are not entitled to in our state. Now you are demonstrating that you mean to write your warning into law. Will being pro-life one day be a hate crime in the State of New York? [17]
Sexual abuse crisis
Scharfenberger said in 2018 that laypeople should investigate bishops accused of sexual abuse and failure to address cases of sexual abuse. In responding to Cardinal Donald Wuerl's suggestion that a committee of bishops should investigate allegations into other bishops in the aftermath of the sexual abuse scandal of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Scharfenberger said that "we have reached a point where bishops alone investigating bishops is not the answer." [21]
On April 28, 2020, Scharfenberger notified 23 priests in the Diocese of Buffalo who were either suspended due to or accused of sexual abuse crimes. He informed them that due to the diocese's bankruptcy agreement, it could no longer make retirement payments, health care, car insurance or dental care to them. [22]
Apostolic Administrator of Buffalo
On December 4, 2019, Francis appointed Scharfenberger as apostolic administrator of Diocese of Buffalo in New York, following the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone. [23] According to The New York Times , Malone resigned his post following a Vatican investigation on the handling of sex abuse allegations in Buffalo. [24]
The New YorkTimes in December 2019 reported that Scharfenberger had "gained a reputation for taking a more empathetic approach in his handling of the abuse crisis." At a news conference announcing his appointment, Scharfenberger said, "I am here to walk with you, and I am [here] to help you heal." Scharfenberger's responsibilities as bshop of Albany were left unchanged. [23] On January 15, 2021, Bishop Michael Fisher was installed as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, taking over for Scharfenberger. [25]
