A Mass of Thanksgiving for the service of Cardinal William H. Keeler, 14th Archbishop of Baltimore, will take place on Sunday, September 23 at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore. This will be his final public Mass before the installation of Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien as the 15th Archbishop of Baltimore on October 1, 2007, at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral.
Cardinal Keeler will be the principal celebrant. Auxiliary Bishops W. Francis Malooly, Mitchell T. Rozanski, and Denis J. Madden will concelebrate the Mass, which is open to the public.
Cardinal William H. Keeler’s resignation from the office of Archbishop of Baltimore was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on July 12, 2007.
Cardinal William H. Keeler submitted his letter of resignation in March of 2006 in accordance with Canon Law, which requires bishops to do so upon reaching the age of 75. Cardinal Keeler was installed the 14th Archbishop of Baltimore in May, 1989. He is the third-longest serving Archbishop in the history of the Archdiocese (founded in 1789).
Of note, Cardinal Keeler…
- Was the third Archbishop of Baltimore to be named to the College of Cardinals (1994).
- Was the second Cardinal-Archbishop of Baltimore to participate in a papal conclave (2005).
- He was the first Archbishop of Baltimore to host a visit from the Holy Father (1995) and the first to serve as president of the national bishop’s conference (1992-1995).
- He was the only Archbishop of Baltimore to serve as a peritus at Vatican II (1962-65).
Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Baltimore, Cardinal Keeler served as the Bishop of Harrisburg, where he had served as a priest since his ordination in 1955. Though born in San Antonio, Texas, he moved to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, as a child and remained there until he left for Rome to study for the priesthood.
There are more than 500,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore (consisting of Baltimore City and the nine surrounding counties—Garrett to the west, Harford to the north and east, and Howard to the south).
For more information about the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the life and ministry of Cardinal William H. Keeler, visit www.archbalt.org.