Pope names Steubenville’s Bishop Monforton as Detroit's 32nd auxiliary bishop

Detroit native, who has served southeast Ohio diocese for 11 years, looks forward to 'going home' to serve Michigan's faithful

DETROIT — A native son of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Steubenville Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton will return home to serve as Detroit’s 32nd auxiliary bishop, the Vatican announced.

Pope Francis’ appointment of Bishop Monforton, who since 2012 has served as the bishop of Steubenville, Ohio, was made public early Sept. 28.

Bishop Monforton, 60, will assist Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron in the pastoral care of the approximately 907,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit, where he served for 18 years as a priest from 1994 to 2012.

“On behalf of the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Archdiocese, I offer a heartfelt ‘welcome home’ to Bishop Monforton,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “This is the local Church in which his priestly vocation was nurtured, and we are blessed to have him be with us once again to help lead our efforts to unleash the Gospel.”

Bishop Monforton was scheduled to give a 10 a.m. news conference Thursday in Steubenville to address the pope’s appointment. In conjunction with the appointment, Pope Francis named retired Kalamazoo Bishop Paul J. Bradley as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Steubenville.

“I was pleased to learn of my appointment by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, as auxiliary bishop of Detroit,” Bishop Monforton said. “This appointment is bittersweet for me: My hometown is Detroit, and I look forward to ‘going home’ and serving the faithful of Detroit under the leadership of Archbishop Vigneron.

“At the same time, I have come to know and to love the good people of the Diocese of Steubenville, from Carroll County in the north to Lawrence County in the south. It has been my distinct pleasure and profound joy to serve the faithful of this diocese for 11 years as their shepherd. The people of the Diocese of Steubenville will always remain in my prayers and have a special place in my heart. I kindly ask that you pray for me.”

Bishop Monforton’s ministry in Detroit will begin Nov. 7, during a 2 p.m. Liturgy of Welcome and Inauguration of Ministry at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.

Bishop Monforton will join current Auxiliary Bishops Arturo Cepeda, Gerard W. Battersby and Robert J. Fisher serving in active ministry in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Detroit also has three retired auxiliary bishops, Bishops Donald F. Hanchon, Francis R. Reiss, and Thomas J. Gumbleton. Retired Cardinal Adam J. Maida also resides in the archdiocese.

Archbishop Paul F. Russell, who was appointed auxiliary bishop of Detroit in 2022, is not currently in public ministry as the Holy See investigates an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor dating to his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston.

“I look forward to having the opportunity to serve the faithful in Detroit, and I hope I can be an instrument of God’s peace for them, as well as to share Jesus Christ’s love and His Most Sacred Heart with all whom I encounter,” Bishop Monforton told Detroit Catholic.

Bishop Monforton was born May 5, 1963, in Detroit, the eldest of three sons of Marc Louis and Virginia Rose (Ackerman) Monforton. His family attended SS. Simon and Jude Parish in Westland.

Bishop Monforton attended Tinkham Elementary School and John Marshall Junior High in Westland, and he graduated from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne. He briefly attended Wayne State University in Detroit before discerning the call to priesthood, entering Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit in 1986 at the age of 23.

After earning his bachelor’s in philosophy from Sacred Heart, he was sent to study at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning his bachelor’s and licentiate in sacred theology. Later, as a priest, he earned his doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2002.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 25, 1994, by Cardinal Adam J. Maida at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. After being ordained, he served as associate pastor of the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak (1994-96), while teaching religion at the parish high school.

Then-Fr. Monforton served as Cardinal Maida’s personal priest-secretary from 1998 to 2005, during which time he was a member of the faculty at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and assisted during weekends at St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms (1998-2002) and at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Sterling Heights (2002-05).

In 2005, he was given the honorary title “Chaplain to His Holiness” (monsignor) by Pope Benedict XVI, and that same year was appointed pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township.

During the 2005-06 academic year, Msgr. Monforton was asked by the Holy See to serve as an apostolic visitor for the Congregation for Catholic Education to evaluate U.S. seminaries and houses of formation. At the conclusion of his service, Cardinal Maida named then-Msgr. Monforton the 12th rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary on Oct. 24, 2006.

In 2012, Archbishop Vigneron named Msgr. Monforton pastor of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s largest parish, St. Andrew in Rochester — a role in which he served for just two months before Pope Benedict appointed him as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville on July 3, 2012. He was ordained and installed Sept. 10, 2012.

Bishop Monforton’s tenure in Steubenville — Ohio’s smallest diocese with fewer than 30,000 Catholics — included the pastoral care of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, one of America’s best-known Catholic universities. Bishop Monforton served as an adjunct faculty member from 2013-19, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in sacred theology from the university in 2014.

A strong proponent of evangelization, Bishop Monforton became known for hosting frequent question-and-answer sessions about the Catholic faith, especially with students, and in 2020 authored a book, “Ask the Bishop: Questions and Answers Over the Years,” compiling material from these sessions over a seven-year period. He also has been a regular guest on Catholic radio stations throughout the Ohio Valley.

In 2022, Bishop Monforton proposed a merger of the Steubenville diocese with the neighboring Diocese of Columbus, a plan Bishop Monforton said was a response to a rapidly shrinking population in post-industrial eastern Ohio, as well as concerning financial, sacramental and demographic trends in the Diocese of Steubenville.

The proposal, however, received pushback from clergy and parishioners who argued the plan needed additional consultation and deliberation, and Bishop Monforton ultimately asked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to cancel a scheduled vote on the merger in November 2022.

In an interview with Detroit Catholic, Bishop Monforton acknowledged the difficult emotions generated by the proposal, adding he’s tried to “embrace the example of Christ” amidst dialogue and disagreements.

Additionally, last year, news reports indicated the Vatican had opened two Vos estis lux mundi inquiries into Bishop Monforton’s handling of sexual abuse claims in the Diocese of Steubenville. Bishop Monforton told Detroit Catholic he was informed by Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, the metropolitan of Ohio who would be responsible for such an investigation, that there are currently no pending cases against him.

As he transitions to the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Monforton said he’s continued to hold the faithful and clergy of the Diocese of Steubenville in prayer.

“These last 11 years have been a source of grace and joy for me, and I look forward to serving the Archdiocese of Detroit,” Bishop Monforton told Detroit Catholic. “I’m grateful to God, and yet, at the same time, there are some mixed feelings because for the last 11 years, Steubenville has been my home, and I’ve made a lot of friends.”

While the Diocese of Steubenville spans a sprawling 5,910 square miles, serving 29,000 Catholics in 51 parishes over 13 counties, Bishop Monforton said his new assignment will likely be much different — serving more Catholics in a smaller geographic area.

“(The Diocese of Steubenville) is quite smaller (in population) than probably any of the four pastoral regions in the Archdiocese of Detroit, if not maybe some of the vicariates,” said Bishop Monforton, who has been given the titular see of Centuria by the Holy See. “At the same time, I could drive to my mom’s house (in the Archdiocese of Detroit) faster from Steubenville than I can to the southern part of the diocese.”

Over a decade as Steubenville’s bishop, Bishop Monforton said he’s traveled hundreds of thousands of miles as he’s traversed the southeastern part of the state for confirmations, ordinations, conferences, school visits and special blessings — making a point to, quite literally, meet people where they are.

“My episcopal motto is, ‘Faith Comes from Hearing.’ It’s from Romans 10:17, and I’ve tried to live that in the last 11 years,” Bishop Monforton said. “That’s why I’ve racked up more than 350,000 miles in my car, because nothing replaces personal encounter and face-to-face interaction with our priests, deacons, religious, consecrated virgins and all the laity.”

Although Bishop Monforton’s assignment in the Archdiocese of Detroit is yet to be determined, he’s remained in contact with friends and family in southeast Michigan, frequently returning to the Archdiocese of Detroit for special liturgies and functions. However he’s asked to serve, Bishop Monforton said he hopes to bring that same spirit of joyful servant leadership to his hometown.

“I’m 60 years old, so I’m hoping for the next 15 years plus I will continue to serve the Lord and be a source of joy and hope for the people,” Bishop Monforton said. “In my remarks when I became a bishop 11 years ago, I quoted the words of St. Augustine: ‘For you, I am a bishop. With you, I am a Christian.’ Those words still ring true today.”

This article has been updated.