Elias R. Lorenzo

Elias RIchard Lorenzo OSB (born October 6, 1960) is an auxiliary bishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, consecrated in 2020.[1][2] He was previously the abbot president of the American-Cassinese Congregation of Benedictine monasteries.[3] He was the third member of St. Mary's Abbey to hold this position and the first to become a bishop.[4]

The Most Reverend

Elias Richard Lorenzo

OSB
Auxiliary bishop of Newark
Elias Lorenzo
ArchdioceseNewark
AppointedFebruary 27, 2020
InstalledJune 30, 2020
Other postsTitular Bishop of Tabuda
President, American-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation
Orders
OrdinationJune 24, 1989
by Frank Joseph Rodimer
ConsecrationJune 30, 2020
by Joseph W. Tobin, Manuel Aurelio Cruz, John Walter Flesey
Personal details
Born (1960-10-06) October 6, 1960
Brooklyn, New York
MottoNihil impossibile apud Deum
Nothing is impossible with God
Styles of
Elias Richard Lorenzo
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Life and ministry

Lorenzo was born on October 6, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended St. Agatha Parish Elementary School (Sunset Park) and Cathedral Prep (Fort Green) before pursuing a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Don Bosco College Seminary in Newton, New Jersey.  

He entered Saint Mary's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery of the American-Cassinese Congregation in Morris Township, New Jersey, in 1983. He was ordained a priest on June 24, 1989.

He has served as a secondary teacher and administrator at Delbarton School; director of campus ministry at Delbarton; member of Board of Trustees; chairman of the Religious Studies department at Delbarton; and Vice President of Delbarton School. Lorenzo has also served on the advisory board of Operation Smile International, having participated in medical missions to Bolivia, China, Honduras, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, and the Philippines.

At the monastery, Lorenzo served as director of liturgy, prior of the abbey and rector of the church. During this same time, he served as a member and chairman of the Paterson Diocesan Liturgical Commission for 12 years. Following his service as prior, he was appointed vicar for religious in the Diocese of Metuchen.  Thereafter, he worked as canonical counsel for Praesidium, Inc. in the development of national safe environment standards and protocols. He currently serves on Praesidium's advisory board.

He served as prior of the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo, Rome, from 2009 to 2016. In addition, he worked as Procurator General for the Benedictine Order in Rome.  Lorenzo is a founding member of the International Commission for Benedictine Education, a global association of 180 secondary schools in 36 countries, and to date has served as its president. In this role, he has visited Benedictine schools throughout the United States, Western Europe, South America, Latin America, Africa, Australia, and the Philippines.

In 2016, he was elected Abbot President of American Cassinese Congregation, an association of Benedictine monasteries. Erected by Pope Pius IX in 1855 under the patronage of the Holy Guardian Angels, this monastic Congregation includes 25 monasteries in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Taiwan with 650 monks. The Benedictine monasteries of the American Cassinese Congregation sponsor 9 colleges and universities and 14 secondary schools in North and South America and serve in pastoral ministry in many dioceses in six countries.

As Abbot President of the Congregation, Lorenzo was a member of the Union of Superiors General, which met bi-annually in Rome, and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, which met bi-annually in various regions of the country and at a national assembly each year.

Lorenzo holds an M.A. in Liturgical Theology from St. John's University in Collegeville, MN, an M.A.E. in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ, and a J.C.L. in canon law from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.

Auxiliary bishop of Newark

On February 27, 2020 he was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Newark by Pope Francis [5] Lorenzo's consecration, originally scheduled for May 5, 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, occurred on June 30, 2020, by Joseph W. Tobin. The co-consecrators were John Flesey and Manuel Cruz. As of June 2020, he serves as regional bishop for Union County in the Archdiocese of Newark.

See also

References
  1. "Pope Francis Names Three New Auxiliary Bishops of Newark". Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  2. "Three Auxiliary Bishops Named for Archdiocese of Newark". Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  3. "The American-Cassinese Congregation | Officers". www.osb.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  4. "Abbot Elias Lorenzo". St. Mary's Abbey. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  5. "Nomina di Ausiliari dell'Arcidiocesi di Newark (U.S.A.)" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
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