Pope appoints auxiliary Bishops for US Military Ordinariate

By Vatican News

The Holy Father has nominated Fr Joseph Coffey and Fr William Muhm as Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

Father Coffey is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and a military chaplain with the United States Navy. As an auxiliary Bishop, he has been assigned the titular see of Arsacal (North Africa). Father Muhm, on leave from his assignment as chaplain in the Navy, is currently Parochial Administrator for Most Precious Blood parish in Walden, New York. His titular see is Capsus, also in North Africa.

Bishop-elect Joseph L. Coffey

Father Joseph L. Coffey was born on 31 May 1960 in Minnesota, USA. He is the fifth of nine children from a Catholic family from Philadelphia.

As a child, Fr Coffey attended primary school in Philadelphia. In 1978 he entered Archbishop Carrol High Scool. Later he attended La Salle University, also in Philadelphia, following a semester course at the Sorbonne in Paris.

From 1995-2002 he studied at St Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, completing an M.A. in Moral Theology. He was ordained a priest on 18 March 1996.

Father Coffey served in a number of pastoral assignments after his ordination: as Vicar General of St Katherine of Siena Parish; spiritual Director of the “Legion of Mary” (Holy Family Curia); military chaplain in the United States Navy; and member of the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese.

He began his service as a Military Chaplain in the US Navy in 2001, obtaining the rank of Captain, serving as a recruiter for the “Chaplain Corps.”

Bishop-elect William J Muhm

Father William J. Muhm was born 27 June 1957 in Billings, Montana, USA.

He attended grade school and high school in Denver, before going to college at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, and Colorado State University at Fort Collins.

He undertook ecclesiastical studies at St Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. He received priestly ordination from Cardinal John O’Connor 13 May 1995, in St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

Following his ordination, Fr Muhm served as Parochial Vicar in St Ann Parish in Ossining and in the Holy Family on Staten Island.

From 1998 to 2018 he served as a Military Chaplain in the United States Navy, where he had carried out his military service prior to his ordination. He completed his ministry as a Military Chaplain in 2018 with the rank of Captain. In the same year, he undertook courses with the Institute for Ongoing Theological Education at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

Since 1 December 2018 he has served as Parish Administrator at Most Precious Blood Parish in Walden, New York.