Bishop Joseph R. Cistone, the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, passed away Oct. 16 after a battle with lung cancer, the diocese has reported.Bishop Cistone, the sixth bishop of Saginaw who was installed in that see in 2009, had been suffering from lung cancer and had been scheduled to undergo a procedure to relieve symptoms Oct. 16. He died "in his home during the night," a statement from the diocese said Oct. 16.
"Please pray for the repose of his soul, for his family and friends, and for all of the Faithful of the Diocese of Saginaw," the statement read.
Bishop Cistone was born in Philadelphia on May 18, 1949. He was ordained a priest for the Philadelphia archdiocese and served there as associate pastor, pastor and later on the archdiocese's metropolitan tribunal.
In 2004, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and on May 20, 2009, he was named the sixth bishop of Saginaw, being installed on July 28, 2009.
In February, Bishop Cistone announced he had been undergoing treatments for lung cancer. While the bishop indicated the treatments had gone well, he nevertheless appeared weak and kept a scaled-back public schedule. In late September, the diocese said the bishop's cancer had spread.
This story will be updated.
