Bishop of Richmond
Msgr. Barry C. Knestout was born in Cheverly, Maryland, in the archdiocese of Washington, on 11 June 1962. After attending elementary and secondary schools, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Maryland (1984). He subsequently studied at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, obtaining a Master in Divinity and a Master of Arts in theology (1989). He was ordained a priest on 24 June 1989 for the archdiocese of Washington. He then held the following offices parish vicar of the Saint Bartholomew parish in Bethesda (1989-1993), of the Saint Peter parish in Waldorf (1993-1994); personal secretary of Cardinal Hickey (1994-2004); executive director of the Youth Office (2001-2003); personal secretary of Cardinal McCarrick (2003-2004); pastor of the Saint John the Evangelist parish in Silver Spring (2004-2006); diredctor of the Office for Pastoral Life and for Social Doctrine (2006-2007); moderator of the Curia and vicar for administration (2007-2008); member of the Priest Personnel Board (since 2006) and of the presbyteral council (since 2007). In 1999 he was named Chaplain of His Holiness. He was appointed as titular bishop of Leavenworth and auxiliary of Washington on 18 November 2008; he received episcopal consecration on the following 29 December. As auxiliary of Washington he is vicar general and moderator of the Curia, member of the college of consultors, of the presbyteral council and the “Clergy Personnel Board”. Within the episcopal conference he is member of the “Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People”. RICHMOND, Va. – Within hours of being announced as the 13 th Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, the Most Reverend Barry C. Knestout, 55, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, celebrated Mass with Pastoral Center staff for the first time in the diocese he will soon oversee. Earlier, he held a press conference where he was introduced to staff and media. “I thank our Holy Father, Pope Francis, for his trust in naming me Bishop of Richmond. I am honored to serve the Church in Richmond, which has a long and revered history of faith, and I will be blessed to serve the faithful across the beautiful and richly diverse Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Bishop-designate Knestout. “For 197 years the diocese has been led by men of happy memory who served with faith-filled wisdom and skill. I recognize especially Bishop Frank DiLorenzo, may God rest him, who served this diocese with devotion, steadfastness and a pastor’s heart.” Bishop-designate Knestout succeeds the Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo, 12 th Bishop of Richmond, who died Aug. 17, 2017, at the age of 75. A native of Maryland, Bishop-designate Barry Knestout, was born in Cheverly, MD, and ordained a priest in 1989 after completing his seminary studies at Mount St. Mary’s. He was named Monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1999, and ordained an auxiliary bishop December 29, 2008 in the Archdiocese of Washington. Bishop-designate Knestout will take possession of the Diocese of Richmond during a Mass of Installation which is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond.