Edward Urban Kmiec (, ; June 4, 1936 – July 11, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 2004 to 2012. Kmiec previously served as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

for the Diocese of Trenton from 1982 to 1992 and as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee from 1992 to 2004

Biography

Edward Kmiec was born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, on June 4, 1936. At age 25, Kmiec was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Trenton by Archbishop Martin O’Connor in Rome on December 20, 1961.

Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed Kmiec on August 26, 1982, as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Trenton and Titular Bishop of Simidicca. He was consecrated on November 3, 1982, by Bishop John C. Reiss.

Bishop of Nashville

John Paul II appointed Kmiec as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville on October 13, 1992; he was installed on December 3, 1992. He was heavily criticized for his diocese's handling of sexual abuse allegations, particularly those against Edward McKeown, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old bo

Bishop of Buffalo, New York

On August 12, 2004, Kmiec was appointed by John Paul II as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo. He was installed on October 28, 2004. In 2007, Kmiec announced that the diocese had a balanced budget, after spending cuts reduced a $2.1 million deficit from the previous year. In August 2009, the The Buffalo News, ''Buffalo News'' reported the removal of Monsignor Fred R. Voorhes, as Administrator of St. Teresa's Parish in South Buffalo and the subsequent dismissal of Marc J. Pasquale, as business administrator and director of religious education at St. Teresa's. Parishioners expressed in interviews their discontent with these removals. Pasquale had gone to the Erie County District Attorney's Office prior to his dismissal to raise concerns about questionable financial practices. Kmiec was heavily criticized for downsizing the diocese from 274 parishes and missions in 2005 to 170 in 2011. He also oversaw the closures of 25 elementary schools.At 75, Kmiec reaches a crossroads
''Buffalo News'', June 4, 2011.
''Buffalo Business First'', September 11, 2006; retrieved January 3, 2014. The Diocese under Kmiec ordained only 18 priests from 2004 to 2011.

Retirement and legacy

On May 29, 2012,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted Kmiec's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo. Bishop Richard Malone from the Diocese of Portland in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

replaced him. Edward Kmiec died in Buffalo on July 11, 2020, at age 84.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo Official Site Most Rev. Edward U. Kmiec

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kmiec, Edward U. 1936 births 2020 deaths American people of Polish descent 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Trenton, New Jersey Roman Catholic bishops of Buffalo Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton Religious leaders from New York (state) Religious leaders from New Jersey Roman Catholic bishops of Nashville Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Catholics from New Jersey