Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As announced in Rome on June 26, Pope Francis has appointed, at my request, a Coadjutor Archbishop
for Hartford, Bishop Christopher Coyne, Bishop of Burlington, Vermont.
Bishop Coyne’s appointment as coadjutor means that upon my retirement next year after I reach the canonical
retirement age of 75 he will succeed me as your Archbishop.
I made this request of Pope Francis in a letter I sent to him dated January 24 of this year. With the passing
of years and my own retirement age approaching, I told Pope Francis that the appointment of a coadjutor
bishop would not only be helpful to me for the pastoral care of the Archdiocese, but would also provide
my successor with time to become familiar with the Archdiocese, its clergy and people, and with our ongoing
pastoral planning, before becoming Archbishop.
I should add that a request for the appointment of a coadjutor bishop is not unprecedented, as we saw recently
in the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, with the appointment of Bishop Henning as coadjutor
to succeed Bishop Tobin.
I am grateful to Pope Francis for granting my request and to Bishop Coyne for accepting this appointment
from the Holy Father. I first met Bishop Coyne in 2011 and we have worked together as members of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. His years of ministry as a priest and bishop speak for
themselves, and our Archdiocese will be blest to have him as chief shepherd when the time comes. I know
we will give him a warm welcome.
Bishop Coyne will take up residence in the Archdiocese with a Mass of Welcome to be celebrated at Cathedral
of Saint Joseph, Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Hartford, on Monday, October 9, 2023, at 2
PM.
As for me, my 75th birthday, God willing, will be April 12, 2024. I hope with divine assistance to continue
to fulfill my responsibilities faithfully, now ably assisted by both Coadjutor Archbishop Coyne and Bishop Betancourt.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair
Archbishop of Hartford
