BALTIMORE (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore as pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order (Knights) of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, based in Rome.
The appointment was announced simultaneously in Rome and in Washington Aug. 29.
The order is a chivalric organization dedicated to promoting and defending Christianity in the Holy Land, supporting the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and responding to the needs of Catholics in the region. Its origins date back to the First Crusade, when its leader, Godfrey de Bouillon, liberated Jerusalem.
He succeeds U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, who resigned and retired in February as head of the international order for health reasons. Cardinal Foley returned to Philadelphia to live permanently earlier this year after having served in Vatican posts since 1984.
It is not known when Archbishop O’Brien will take up his new post in Rome. Though he ceases to be archbishop of Baltimore effective with the appointment, the pope named him as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until his successor is named.
“It has been a singular privilege to serve as archbishop of Baltimore,” Archbishop O’Brien said. “It is with a heavy heart that I will be departing. … I pray that I will carry out the will of God and that of (the pope) in preserving the faith in the Holy Land.”
In a statement released Aug. 29, Cardinal Foley said, “I could not be happier that he is my successor,” citing Archbishop O’Brien’s “experience and splendid dedication as priest and archbishop.”
Archbishop O’Brien was appointed July 12, 2007, by Pope Benedict as the 15th archbishop of Baltimore to succeed Cardinal William H. Keeler, who had served as archbishop of the nation’s oldest diocese from 1989 to 2007.
For the 10 years prior to his Baltimore appointment, he was archbishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, which serves 1.5 million Catholics, including all U.S. armed forces and their families, as well as 170 Veterans Affairs hospitals and U.S. government employees overseas.
The Order of the Holy Sepulchre plays an important role in the preservation of the Holy Land and the practice of Christianity there. Though it counts its beginnings to the 12th century, it was reorganized and revitalized in the 1960s by Popes John XIII and Paul VI. Blessed Pope John Paul II enhanced the status of the order again, making it a public association of the faithful, according to the website of the order.
The purposes of the order are to:
— Strengthen the faith of its members in fidelity to the pope and according to the teachings of the church.
— Sustain and support the charitable, cultural and social works and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, especially those affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
— Support the preservation and propagation of the faith in the Holy Land.
— Uphold the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
As pro-grand master of the order, Archbishop O’Brien will travel extensively, visiting lieutenancies (local chapters) of the order throughout the world, as well as often visiting the Holy Land and Jerusalem to provide witness for the church’s presence and support.
The head of the order is usually a cardinal. By naming Archbishop O’Brien “pro-”grand master, Pope Benedict seemed to indicate that he would be named a cardinal during the next consistory, which has not been scheduled. At that time, the “pro-” would be dropped from his title.
Edwin Frederick O’Brien was born April 8, 1939 in the Bronx, N.Y., son of Edwin Frederick O’Brien Sr. and Mary Winifred O’Brien. He was one of three children, including brothers Ken and Tom (both now deceased). He attended St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, N.Y., where he received his bachelor of arts degree, a master of divinity and a master of arts. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New York on May 29, 1965, by Cardinal Francis Spellman.
His first assignment was as a civilian chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He would later be commissioned to become a military chaplain and in 1970, he officially became an army chaplain with the rank of captain, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division.
From 1971 to 1972, he served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and then 1st Cavalry Brigade. From a base of operations in the middle of a jungle, he and a Protestant minister flew by helicopter to defensive outposts where they would provide for the spiritual needs of soldiers.
In 1973, he left the military and earned a doctorate in sacred theology from Rome’s Angelicum University. While preparing for his doctorate in sacred theology, Father O’Brien was a graduate student at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he would later return as rector, 1990-1994.
He was director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York in the early 1980s and was instrumental in the establishment of the archdiocesan newspaper, Catholic New York. He was named a monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1986, and served two stints as rector of the seminary at Dunwoodie, 1985-89 and 1994-97.
In 1996, he was named an auxiliary bishop for New York. In April 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop for the military archdiocese, succeeding as archbishop in August of that year.
Archbishop O’Brien is known for his theology and knowledge of church history. His dedication to evangelization permeates many of the programs in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and respect for life and vocations are also high on his agenda. His episcopal motto, “Pastores Dabo Vobis” (“I will give you pastors”), from the Book of Jeremiah, reflects the time he has spent in seminary education and his desire to encourage vocations.
In Baltimore, he has also emphasized planning for the future, conducting an extensive review of the schools system and a strategic planning process that led to school consolidations and new programs at several schools. He also began a process of studying parishes and the way they work together. He has been outspoken against the death penalty and same-sex marriage and he took the City of Baltimore to court, successfully overturning legislation that targeted pro-life pregnancy counseling centers.
Nationally and internationally, he has been involved in seminary visitations in the United States and Ireland, and in the past few years has spoken in several venues on the need to move toward a world without nuclear weapons.