On Monday, July 15, at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, the Diocese of Burlington officially ordained and installed her eleventh bishop, the Most Reverend John J. McDermott. 

Bishop McDermott’s ordination Mass, in addition to being a joyous occasion for the diocese, was remarkable in several respects; while the ordination took place in the presence of His Eminence Christophe Cardinal Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, and was principally consecrated by His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Metropolitan Archbishop of Boston, it was additionally witnessed by His Eminence Gerald Cardinal LaCroix, Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada. For the first time in diocesan history, the episcopal ordination was co-consecrated by two former bishops of the Diocese of Burlington: Archbishop Christopher Coyne and Bishop Salvatore Matano. Bishop McDermott is the first priest of the Diocese of Burlington to be made Vermont’s bishop since the ordination of Bishop Robert Joyce in 1954.

In addition to Cardinals Pierre, O’Malley, and LaCroix, the Mass was concelebrated by fifteen bishops from across New England. Numerous diocesan priests and deacons, as well as representatives from every religious order active within the episcopal see, attended. Roughly a thousand of the faithful were in attendance, with nearly five thousand more tuning in via livestream. Prior to Mass, music was provided by the diocese’s Congolese, Shemeza, and Vietnamese Choirs; during the Mass itself, music was provided by the Diocesan Festival Choir.

Bishop McDermott’s ordination and installation brings Burlington’s thirteen-month interregnum to a close, and begins a new chapter in the diocese’s history. Please join us in praying for Bishop McDermott, as he assumes his new episcopal responsibilities. Ad multos annos!

View the full gallery of the festivities here.