Robert Joseph Coyle (born September 23, 1964) is an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who has been serving as auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Rockville Centre The Diocese of Rockville Centre () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Long Island region of New York State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...

in New York since 2018. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

in Washington D.C. from 2013 to 2018

Biography

Early life

Robert Coyle was born on September 23, 1964, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

to Robert and Kathryn Coyle. Robert Coyle attended Saint Edward the Confessor Elementary School, in

Syosset, New York Syosset is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay, in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state ...

. In 1982, he completed high school at Saint Mary’s Boys High School in

Manhasset, New York Manhasset is an affluent Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is co ...

. Coyle then entered

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

in New York City, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1986. Coyle then enlisted in the US Navy, where he was commissioned an ensign on June 3, 1988. He left the Navy in 1991, butt remained in the

US Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

. That same year, deciding to become a priest, Coyle entered

Seminary of the Immaculate Conception The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic seminary in Lloyd Harbor, New York, accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and serving the Diocese of Rockville Centre. It offered a number o ...

in Huntington, New York, receiving a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree in 1991.

Priest and US Navy chaplain

Coyle was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

at Saint Agnes Cathedral in Rockville on May 25, 1991, for the Diocese of Rockville Centre by John R. McGann. After his 1991 ordination, the diocese assigned Coyle as associate pastor at Saint Dominic Church in

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns that make up Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is ...

. Five years later, in 1996, the diocese transferred him to serve as associate pastor at Saint Patrick’s Church in

Glen Cove, New York Glen Cove is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, New York (state), New York, United States. The city's population was 28,3 ...

. The Navy called Coyle to

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

in the

US Navy Chaplain Corps The United States Navy Chaplain Corps is the body of military chaplains of the United States Navy who are commissioned naval officers. Their principal purpose is "to promote the spiritual, religious, moral, and personal well-being of the mem ...

in 1999. Over the next ten years, Coyle had the following postings in the Navy: * Third Marine Division on Okinawa, Japan. He was promoted to lieutenant commander and deployed to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

as a landing force chaplain (1999 to 2000). * Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Deployed to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

from 2000 to 2001, served in

Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from August 1992 to March 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of moni ...

and

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

from 2002 to 2003. * U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Was assistant command chaplain before assuming duties as command chaplain. Promoted to rank of commander in 2005 (2003 to 2007). * Aircraft carrier

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower USS ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' (CVN-69) is a Nuclear marine propulsion, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier currently in service with the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1977, the ship is the second of ten s currently in service, and is the firs ...

(CVN 69). Deployed to the Middle East in 2009 in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

(2007 to 2009). The Vatican in 2008 elevated Coyle to the rank of chaplain to his holiness Coyle left active duty in the Navy in 2009 to become pastor at Corpus Christi Parish in

Mineola, New York Mineola is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village and the county seat of Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 20,800 at the time of the 2020 United Stat ...

. He retired from the Navy Reserve in January 2013.

Auxiliary Bishop for the Military Services, USA

On February 11, 2013, Coyle was named by

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 ...

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Zabi'' and

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. ...

of the Military Services, USA. He was consecrated at the

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic minor basilica and national shrine in Washington D.C. It is the largest Catholic church building in North America and is also the tallest habitable building in Wash ...

in Washington, D.C. by Archbishop

Timothy Broglio Timothy Paul Andrew Broglio Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), KC*HS (born December 22, 1951) is an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who has served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, ...

on April 25, 2013, with Bishops William Murphy and

Robert E. Guglielmone Robert Eric Guglielmone (born December 30, 1945) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Charleston from 2009 until 2022. Biography Early life and education Robert Guglielmone was born on December 30, 1945, in New York City t ...

acting as co-consecrators.

Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre

On February 20, 2018, Coyle was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

as auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre; he was installed on April 2, 2018. On May 6, 2018, Coyle also became pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in

Holbrook, New York Holbrook is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town (New York), Towns of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven and Town of Islip, New York, Islip, in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New ...

References

External links

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre Official Site

GCatholic.org. Retrieved 2010-08-20. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coyle, Robert J. 1964 births Living people Religious leaders from Brooklyn 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops American military chaplains Catholics from New York (state) Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI