The Holy Father, Pope Francis, announced today that Father Earl K. Fernandes, of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, has been appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio. Bishop-elect Fernandes will be the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Columbus. The diocese has been under the governance of a diocesan administrator since Bishop Robert J. Brennan was installed as Bishop of Brooklyn in November of 2021. Bishop-elect Fernandes will be consecrated and installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Bishop-elect Fernandes was ordained to the priesthood on May 18, 2002. Most recently he has been serving as pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Cincinnati since 2019.Bishop-elect Fernandes has faithfully served the people of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in many leadership roles throughout the last 20 years. He served as dean, pastor, parochial vicar, seminary academic dean and associate professor, and high school teacher. He holds a doctorate of moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. He is the published author of one book and numerous articles and essays and has given presentations, talks, and retreats around the country. He has been a regular contributor to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s magazine The Catholic Telegraph.

Bishop-elect Fernandes is a native of Toledo, Ohio, the fourth of five boys, and the son of Indian immigrants. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo and came to Cincinnati to study at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine before discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Additional biographical information about Bishop-elect Fernandes is available on the archdiocesan website: https://catholicaoc.org/BishopelectFernandes.