Archbishop also taps Bp. Byrnes for new evangelization efforts

DETROIT — Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda said he is honored and excited to be appointed to take the helm of the archdiocesan Department of Evangelization, Catechesis and Schools.

“I see Catholic schools, as does Archbishop (Allen) Vigneron, as one of the most important engines of the new evangelization,” he said.

Archbishop Vigneron announced Oct. 23 that Bishop Cepeda would succeed Margie Crooks, Ph.D., to become the department’s director, effective Jan 1, 2013.

The bishop said he looks forward to working with others in the department “as the Year of Faith moves us forward to the new evangelization.”

He said he hopes to “rekindle the fire of evangelization” through the work of the department.

Bishop Cepeda said he also looks forward to continuing efforts with a commission appointed to offer suggestions for improving local Catholic schools’ academic excellence and Catholic identity.

He said the department also is considering ways to close a gap that threatens a future in which the only surviving Catholic schools will be those serving the well-to-do, plus a few others operated as outreach efforts for the poor.

Having gone to Catholic schools himself, Bishop Cepeda said, “I am very passionate about the Catholic school system of which I am a product.”

Crooks, who has served as director since 2009, tendered her resignation and plans to return to Indiana with her husband and children. She will remain as director through 2012 and will serve in a consulting role through June 2013.

Archbishop Vigneron said in a letter to priests, “As Dr. Crooks has explained to me and her co-workers, her husband’s employment situation is such that he has been working in Indiana and commuting to Michigan every weekend for the past year and a half. After prayer and discernment, they have together arrived at the decision to move their family back to Indiana.”

He said Crooks “has made an enormous impact upon our efforts to advance our mission of sharing Christ in and through the Church. Her many gifts have been placed selflessly at the service of our local church, and she will be greatly missed.”

Bishop Cepeda, 43, was ordained a bishop for Detroit in May 2011. He will maintain his other duties as regional moderator for the Northwest Region of the archdiocese.

Bishop Cepeda’s experience in education dates to his years in the Archdiocese of San Antonio — where he had been ordained a priest.

“Since his arrival in the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Cepeda has shown himself to be a catalyst for renewal with enthusiasm and vibrant preaching,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “He has a passion for Catholic education and promoting the new evangelization. His many leadership responsibilities over the years will be put to great use in this new role.”

Archbishop Vigneron also announced that Auxiliary Bishop Michael Byrnes will lead key efforts in the archdiocese related to evangelization. In a pastoral letter issued earlier this year, titled “Forward in Hope to Share Christ,” Archbishop Vigneron detailed the need to embrace the new evangelization — which he described as “a renewed effort to take up the Church’s perennial mission with new ardor, new methods, and new forms of expression.”

Bishop Byrnes has been appointed to provide leadership in planning a local synod, cooperating with local Church leaders, and spearheading other efforts focused on the new evangelization, the archbishop said.

“Simply put, our neighbors need to know the Good News about Jesus,” Archbishop Vigneron said.

“As a Scripture scholar with a deep love of Jesus and much experience in this area, Bishop Byrnes is ideally suited to lead these efforts.”

Bishop Byrnes’ responsibilities related to the new evangelization take effect immediately. He will continue to serve as regional moderator of the Northeast Region of the archdiocese.