Coyne takes helm as archbishop of Hartford

Blair says goodbye after 10 years to retire

Archbishop Christopher Coyne officially succeeded Archbishop Leonard Blair on Wednesday as the spiritual leader of 469,000 Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

“After a year of listening and learning the joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of God’s People here in Hartford, I am excited to set out with you on this new stage of our journey together as Church,” Coyne said in a statement.

Coyne was named archbishop coadjutor on June 25, 2023. He had served as bishop of the Diocese of Burlington, Vt., since 2014.

Marek Kukulka, CEO of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford, said, “Archbishop Coyne has a reputation of being a strong advocate for the Catholic Charities in Vermont and since he has been in Hartford, I have seen firsthand his commitment to care for the most vulnerable in our communities.

“As the human services ministry of the Archdiocese, we are eager to support his vision by providing help and creating hope for all people,” Kukulka said.

“As I ask the prayers of all people of good will that our work might bear abundant fruit, I pledge to you that I will strive every day to be a faithful image of the Good Shepherd, who welcomes the lost and protects those who struggle,” Coyne said.

“Today, Jesus calls us to be ‘a Church that goes out’ to the changing world around us, and I invite my new family of faith to join me in meeting this moment with a renewed energy for our mission to bring Christ’s light, peace, and hope to our families, our neighbors, and everyone in this place we call home,” he said.

Blair retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. He had served for 10 years. Coyne is the sixth archbishop of Hartford and 14th bishop of Hartford. The archdiocese includes Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties.

A Mass to mark the beginning of Coyne’s ministry will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, 140 Farmington Ave., Hartford.

In a video address, Blair spoke of his ministry as archbishop.

“Life today presents many daunting challenges, especially for the church,” he said. “I am grateful for the understanding and support of you, our Catholic people and the collaboration of so many talented, dedicated and competent individuals, clergy, religious and laity, all of whom have made these 10 years possible, and dare I say fruitful, in the sense of bringing forth good for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”

Blair spoke of the closing of parishes as a major challenge.

“Pastoral planning looms large over these last 10 years in an effort that is still a work in progress to revitalize parish life by bringing parishioners together as they are today, not as they once were in the past and are no more,” he said.

“The same can be said of our schools, which are now enjoying new growth and vitality in keeping with their Catholic identity,” Blair said.

As Jesus’ body bore the marks of his crucifixion, so does the church bear the wounds of sin, Blair said.

“In our own time, nothing shows this more than the sin and crime of sexual abuse of the vulnerable,” he said. “I can only say that, leaving no stone unturned, we now have the benefit of knowing that all clergy with some connection to the archdiocese who have either had a credible claim of sexual abuse of a minor asserted against them, or who had been the subject of a claim of a sexual abuse of a minor that was settled by the archdiocese, had been identified and their names published.”

Finally, Blair said, “To those who have prayed with me and for me, to those who had a heart for the whole archdiocese as one family of faith, and, above all, to those who strive every day to live and bear witness to their Catholic faith in Christ to the best of their ability, to all of you I say thank you and God bless you.”