The Pilot

BOSTON (OSV News) — Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning announced March 24 that he has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Robert P. Reed as the 23rd rector of St. John’s Seminary.

Besides his pastoral duties, Bishop Reed currently is president of the CatholicTV Network and CEO of its parent organization, iCatholic Media Inc., which encompasses a parish bulletin service, a printing company and The Pilot, the nation’s oldest continuously published Catholic newspaper.

Will bring ‘experience, authenticity’

“I am so grateful for Bishop Reed’s service to the Church of Boston and his important work in sharing the faith through media,” Archbishop Henning said in a statement. “He will bring experience and authenticity as a priest and bishop to this critical work of forming future priests for the Church. I look forward to working with Bishop Reed and the Board and faculty to maintain the high quality of academics and formation at St. John’s Seminary.”

In congratulating Bishop Reed on his new assignment in a statement, the CatholicTV Network noted that Bishop Reed will remain its president.

At the seminary, Bishop Reed succeeds Msgr. Stephen E. Salocks, who has served as rector since 2018.

“I was both surprised and deeply honored to be invited to this role by Archbishop Henning, the other bishops and the Board of Trustees,” Bishop Reed said in a statement. “I look forward to learning from them, as well as the extensive institutional knowledge of Msgr. Salocks, to whom we are all profoundly indebted.”

Plans to work closely with faculty, staff

He said he anticipates working closely with the faculty and staff of St. John’s Seminary, “drawing on their personal expertise and experience as a formation team.”

“Having served as a Catholic priest for over 40 years, in the parish and the parish of the airways,” Bishop Reed continued, “I understand the seminary to be the heart of the diocese it serves. From this community of faith, men, led by the Holy Spirit to discern their call to Holy Orders, are formed and sent forth with priestly grace, to serve and inspire the same communion in the Faith within their dioceses and parish life.”

Archbishop Henning praised the service of Msgr. Salocks as he prepares to step down from his role as rector.

“It has been a blessing to work with Msgr. Salocks since arriving in the Archdiocese of Boston,” the archbishop said. “He already enjoyed my confidence when I served in Providence and entrusted the seminarians of that diocese to St. John’s Seminary.

“Few can claim as long an association with St. John’s as this holy priest who studied and served here over decades. We are all grateful to him for his priestly witness, academic skills, and his selfless leadership.”

A native of Boston

A native of Boston, Bishop Reed was born June 11, 1959, to the late William and Jeanne Reed and is the youngest of five children. He received his early education at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, before beginning his priestly formation at St. John’s Seminary. 

He continued his studies in Rome, earning advanced degrees from the Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum.

In addition to his theological training, he pursued studies in television management at Boston University’s College of Communication, blending his pastoral call with a deep interest in television and digital media.

Ordained for Boston Archdiocese in 1985

Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1985, he has served as pastor of seven parishes over the course of his ministry. In 2016, he was consecrated a bishop and appointed regional bishop for the west region of the Archdiocese of Boston.

He previously chaired the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ Committee on Communications and currently serves on the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, as well as the board of governors for the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

The effective date of Bishop Reed’s appointment as rector was not immediately available.

The Pilot is the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Boston. This story was originally published by The Pilot and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

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