By Catholic News Service 

WASHINGTON— Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and appointed as his successor Father Edward C. Malesic, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Just one day prior, the Holy Father accepted the resignation of Bishop David E. Fellhauer of Victoria, Texas, and named Father Brendan Cahill, a priest of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, to succeed him.

Bishop Brandt, who has headed the Greensburg Diocese since 2004, is 76, one year past the age that bishops are required by canon law to turn in their resignation to the pope. Bishop-designate Malesic, 54, has been judicial vicar and secretary of canonical services in Harrisburg since 2006.

The changes were announced in Washington April 24 by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Fellhauer is 75.

Bishop-designate Cahill, 51, is a native of Florida who was ordained in 1990. He currently is director of the archdiocese’s Secretariat for Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services.

The changes were announced in Washington April 23 by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The episcopal ordination of the newly named Texas bishop is scheduled for June 29. He will be the third bishop of Victoria. Bishop Fellhauer has headed the diocese since 1990.

Bishop-designate Cahill “has been a faithful priest of this archdiocese for close to 25 years and brings a wealth of gifts and experiences with him in this new ministry,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

“His appointment is a sign of the Holy Father’s care for the needs of the people of southeast Texas, whose deep Catholic roots continue to be a vital presence in the region,” he said in a statement.

Posted April 24, 2015