Joseph Edward Kurtz

Joseph E ( dward ) Kurtz ( born August 18, 1946 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA) is Archbishop of Louisville.

Life

Joseph Edward Kurtz studied philosophy and theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, and Social Sciences at the Marywood School of Social Work in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He received on 18 March 1972 the Bishop of Allentown, Joseph Mark McShea, the sacrament of Holy Orders. He was for 27 years in the Diocese of Allentown täig. He was pastor at Notre Dame of Bethlehem in Bethlehem, PA, (1996-1999), and St. Mary in Catasauqua, PA ( 1988-1996 ). From 1976 to 1994 he worked for the Catholic Social Agency and Family Life Bureau, most recently as managing director. He was also a diocesan coordinator for health questions from 1991 to 1998. He taught at Mary Immaculate Seminary and at St. Pius X Seminary. In 1986 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II Monsignor.

He has held numerous management and board positions at Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (1977-1998), President of the Catholic Social Agency (1988-1999) and a member of the Association of Denominational Christian Leaders (2000-2007 ). He was a member of the 2002 class of Leadership Knoxville.

As vice president of the U.S. bishops' conference, he represented them. Numerous organizations, including the Catholic Extension Society, the Catholic Social Workers National Association and the Catholic University of America and the National Catholic Bioethics Center

On 26 October 1999, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop of Knoxville. The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, donated to him on 8 December 1999 the episcopal ordination; Co-consecrators were the Bishop of Allentown, Edward Peter Cullen, and the Archbishop of Louisville, Thomas Cajetan Kelly OP.

On 12 June 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him. Archbishop of Louisville. The official launch took place on 15 August 2007.

On 12 November 2013, was elected chairman of the U.S. Conference of Bishops ( USCCB ).