Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Brendan J. Cahill as the new bishop of Joliet, the diocese announced Thursday.
Cahill is a bishop in Victoria, Texas, a position he has held since 2015. He will be the seventh bishop of Joliet.
“I have learned I’ll be a Bears fan,” Cahill said at a news conference Thursday in Joliet. “It’s a good time to be a Bears fan.”
Cahill’s predecessor as bishop of Joliet, Ronald Hicks, was named archbishop of New York late last year in one of the new pope’s biggest appointments to date.
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Hicks said his final Mass as the Joliet bishop in January to an audience of about 1,000 gathered at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet. He was installed as archbishop of New York in February.
Cahill said the news of his appointment was a surprise, and the last few days have been “a whirlwind.”
“I said yes, I was honored to be coming to Joliet,” Cahill said. “I said yes unreservedly. But I also knew a little bit about Joliet, so you’re not a stranger to me.”
He knew Hicks, he said, and had several friends who had worked in the diocese. He also referenced “The Blues Brothers,” saying one of the first things he thought of was “Joliet Jake.”
Dennis Spies, auxiliary bishop of the diocese, acted as the apostolic administrator for the diocese between Hicks’ departure and Cahill’s appointment.
“I refer to it as the stump double of the bishop, until the real bishop gets here,” Spies joked. “So today we’re celebrating that our real bishop arrived.”
Cahill has spent almost all of his life in Texas, he said.
“Bishop is going to experience his first winter of his life, this winter,” said Spies. “We’re all looking forward to having him practice driving on ice in the parking lot.”
Cahill said he looks forward to familiarizing himself with the communities in his new diocese.
“Victoria was a rural diocese, and I loved to visit the rural parishes,” Cahill said. “And so I’m looking forward to … I think, just getting out of the office and into the parishes.”
The Joliet Diocese serves about 520,000 Catholics in seven counties, covering 4,218 square miles.
One of Pope Leo’s brothers, John Prevost, lives in the diocese, in New Lenox.
“I am now going to tell people that Pope Leo appointed me here because his brother lives here,” Cahill joked. “I’ve been telling people, the pope appointed me here because it’s close to where he grew up.”
Pope Leo and his brothers grew up in Dolton. Cahill has not met the pope, but is set to meet him next year, he said.
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“You can’t help but feel a closeness to Pope Leo here,” Cahill said.
Despite how drastic the change from Texas to Illinois would be, Cahill said, he felt no hesitation about accepting the appointment.
“What struck me as interesting, on that Saturday evening, was how quickly I felt at peace with saying yes,” Cahill said. “And how excited I felt.”
According to the Diocese of Victoria, Cahill, who is 62, was born in Coral Gables, Florida in 1963, as the fourth of five children. He and his family moved to Houston in 1971, where most of his family members still live.
Cahill was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in 1990, according to the Diocese of Victoria. He entered St. Mary Seminary in Houston in 1982, and also received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master of divinity degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, according to the diocese.
He earned a master of theology degree with a specialization in African-American Catholic Studies in 1994 from Xavier University, New Orleans, according to the Diocese of Victoria. He spent several years living and studying in Rome, and speaks Spanish and Italian in addition to English.
Cahill’s installation Mass will be scheduled for November, the Joliet Diocese said.
Cahill said his priorities include mental health and working with immigrant communities, which he described as building a “culture of life.”
“That we respect every human being, every person, that we see their beauty and goodness,” he said. “That we somehow, whatever laws we have, whatever particular programs we have, we don’t lose sight of the human person who is created by a loving God.”