VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Jesuit priest as the new bishop of Honolulu to succeed Bishop Clarence “Larry” Silva, who has led the Hawaii diocese for two decades.

The new bishop-designate, Father Michael T. Castori, 65, has served as rector of Arrupe Jesuit Residence at Seattle University in Washington state since 2025 and is a member of the Society of Jesus’ West Province in the U.S.

The Vatican announced both the Jesuit priest’s appointment and the resignation of Bishop Silva on May 6.

Episcopal ordination, installation July 28

Bishop-designate Castori’s episcopal ordination and installation as the sixth bishop of Honolulu will take place July 28 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu.

Bishop Silva, 76, has served as bishop of Honolulu since 2005. He was the first Hawaii-born bishop of Honolulu and only the second of Portuguese-Azorean ancestry. Under Catholic Church canon law, bishops are required to submit their resignation to the pope upon turning 75.

Bishop-designate Castori was born Oct. 21, 1960, in Sacramento, California, and grew up in Carmichael, California. He is the son of Michael and Lucille Castori (now deceased) and has two older sisters, JoAnn and Pamela. His parents and siblings were all teachers.

Bishop-designate speaks 6 languages

He holds a bachelor’s degree in classics from Harvard University, a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University, and a master of divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. He was ordained a Jesuit priest on June 13, 1998, and earned a doctorate in Near Eastern religions from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2008. He speaks English, Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Tongan.

He is an expert in biblical studies and has edited or written several works on the Bible.

Prior to his time in Washington state, he served in numerous roles in the Diocese of Oakland, California, and held pastoral and teaching roles across the state.

He served as a chaplain to Tongan communities in California from 1996 to 2024 and in prison ministry from 1997 to 2005. He also served as assistant professor and university ministry assistant at Santa Clara University, as parochial vicar at All Saints Catholic Church in Hayward, and as vicar for clergy in the Diocese of Oakland from 2021 to 2024 before moving to Seattle last year.

Extensive experience in South Pacific

Bishop-designate Castori has extensive experience in the South Pacific, serving in pastoral ministry and education in Tonga, Guam, Fiji and the Marshall Islands. His middle name, “Tupou,” was given to him by a Tongan family of which he became a member during his time in the region.

The Diocese of Honolulu covers the entire state of Hawaii and is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Its mother church is the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, and its patron is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady Queen of Peace.

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X@catholicourtney.

UPDATED on May 6, 2026, at 5:02 p.m. ET

The post Pope Leo XIV appoints Jesuit priest as new bishop of Honolulu as Bishop Silva retires first appeared on OSV News.