Peter John Byrne

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Peter John Byrne
Auxiliary Bishop of New York Titular Bishop of Cluain Iraird
Church	Catholic Church
Archdiocese	New York
Appointed	June 14, 2014
Installed	August 4, 2014
Other post(s)	Titular Bishop of Cluain Iraird
Orders
Ordination	December 1, 1984 by  John Joseph O'Connor
Consecration	August 4, 2014 by  Timothy M. Dolan, Gerald Thomas Walsh, and Dominick John Lagonegro
Personal details
Born	(1951-07-24) July 24, 1951 (age 74) Manhattan, New York
Education	Fordham University St. Joseph's Seminary
Motto	Deus est fidelis (God is faithful)

Styles of Peter John Byrne
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Peter John Byrne (born July 24, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in New York since 2014.

Biography

Early life

Peter Byrne was born on July 24, 1951, in Manhattan, the son of John and Dorothy Byrne. He grew up in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan and attended Immaculate Conception School Elementary School in Manhattan and Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx. Bryne earned a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in New York City in history and social studies. ^[1]

In 1974, Byrne entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, to begin his formation as a priest. However, having some doubts about his career choice, he took a leave of absence from the seminary in 1977. From 1977 to 1984, Byrne taught at Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School in Valhalla, New York, and at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in Brooklyn, New York. In 1983, Byrne returned to St. Joseph's to complete the program. ^{[2] [1]}

Priesthood

Byrne was ordained a priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal John O'Connor on December 1, 1984. ^{[3] [1]}

After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Byrne as parochial vicar at St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was transferred in 1984 to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in the Bronx to serve as administrator there. In 1995, he briefly served as administrator at St. John the Baptist de La Salle Parish in Staten Island, New York. ^[1]

Byrne then served as pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish on Staten Island from 1995 to 2013. After the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Byrne worked for several weeks with families that lost relatives in Lower Manhattan. ^[2] Byrne served at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Washington Heights, Manhattan from 2013 to 2014. ^[4]

Auxiliary Bishop of New York

Papal Bull signed by Pope Francis naming Byrne as a Bishop

Byrne was named the titular bishop of Cluain Iraird and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York by Pope Francis on June 14, 2014. ^[5] He was consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in St. Patrick's Cathedral on August 4, 2014. New York auxiliary bishops Gerald Walsh and Dominick Lagonegro were the co-consecrators. Byrne chose as his episcopal motto "God is Faithful". ^[4]

In 2022, Byrne co-celebrated with Bishop John Joseph O'Hara a red mass for members of the legal profession at Blessed Sacrament Church in West Brighton on Staten Island. ^[6]

In May 2023, Byrne participated in the maiden voyage of a new Staten Island Ferry boat, the Dorothy Day. The boat was named after the Servant of God Dorothy Day, a founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 and an advocate for the poor. ^[7]

See also

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

1. "Bishop Peter Byrne". Archdiocese of New York. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
2. DosSANTOS, JULIANN (August 6, 2014). "Friends Say 'Holy Spirit Was Behind the Choice' of This Humble Pastor". Catholic New York. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
3. "Bishop Peter John Byrne [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
4. John Woods (July 24, 2014). "Ordination of Three Auxiliary Bishops". Catholic New York . Retrieved August 14, 2014.
5. "Rinunce e Nomine, 14.06.2014" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. June 14, 2014.
6. [e-mail], Carol Ann Benanti | (November 15, 2022). "Bishops John O'Hara and Peter Byrne con-celebrate traditional medieval Red Mass". silive. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
7. "Staten Island ferry named for Dorothy Day makes maiden voyage". Detroit Catholic. Retrieved March 2, 2024.

External links

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York Official Site

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by –	Auxiliary Bishop of New York 2014–Present	Succeeded by –