John Barres

{{Short description|American prelate (born 1960)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox Christian leader | honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend | name = John Oliver Barres | honorific-suffix = | title = Bishop of Rockville Centre | image = | caption = | diocese = Rockville Centre | appointed = December 9, 2016 | enthroned = January 31, 2017 | retired = | predecessor = William Murphy | successor = | ordination = October 21, 1989 | ordained_by = Robert Edward Mulvee | consecration = July 30, 2009 | consecrated_by = Justin Francis Rigali, William Francis Malooly, and Michael Angelo Saltarelli | other_post = | previous_post = {{bulleted list| Bishop of Allentown (2009–2017) }} | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|9|20|mf=y}} | birth_place = Larchmont, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | buried = | nationality = | religion = Roman Catholic | residence = | parents = | spouse = | children = | occupation = | profession = | alma_mater = Princeton University<br />New York University<br />Catholic University of America<br />Pontifical University of the Holy Cross | signature = | motto = Holiness and mission }} {{Infobox bishopstyles | name= John Oliver Barres | dipstyle= *His Excellency *The Most Reverend | offstyle=Your Excellency | relstyle=Bishop | image = Coat of arms of John Oliver Barres (Rockville Centre).svg | image_size = 200px }}

'''John Oliver Barres''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ær|ɪ|s}} {{respell|BARR|iss}}; born September 20, 1960) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as bishop of Rockville Centre in New York since 2017. He previously served as bishop of Allentown in Pennsylvania from 2009 to 2017.

==Early life and education== Barres was born on September 20, 1960, the fifth of six children, to Oliver and Marjorie (née Catchpole) Barres, in Larchmont, New York. His parents were Congregationalist ministers who converted to Catholicism in 1955. John Barres was baptized by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. For high school, Barres attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.<ref name=":1" />

After graduating from Phillips in 1978, Barres entered Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1982. He then entered the New York University Stern School of Business in New York City, earning in 1984 a Master of Business Administration degree in management.<ref name=":1" />

Having decided to become a priest, Barres moved to Washington D.C. to enter the Theological College at the Catholic University of American. He received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1988, and a Licentiate in Systematic Theology in 1989.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pope Names Bishop John Barres as New Bishop of Rockville Centre; Accepts Resignation of Bishop William Murphy |url=https://www.usccb.org/news/2016/pope-names-bishop-john-barres-new-bishop-rockville-centre-accepts-resignation-bishop |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=US Conference of Catholic Bishops |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

==Priesthood== Barres was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Wilmington by Bishop Robert Mulvee on October 21, 1989 at Saint Elizabeth Church in Wilmington, Delaware.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Bishop John Oliver Barres [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbarres.html |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> After his 1989 ordination, the diocese assigned Barres as an associate pastor at Holy Family Parish in Newark, Delaware.<ref name=":0" /> In 1991, Barres joined the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, run by Opus Dei. He was transferred in 1992 to St. Elizabeth Parish in Wilmington to serve as associate pastor there.<ref name=":0" />

Barres went to Rome in 1996 to attend the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, where he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1998 and a Doctor of Spirituality degree in 1999. Barres' doctoral thesis was entitled ''"Jean-Jacques Olier's Priestly Spirituality: Mental Prayer and Virtue as the Foundation for the Direction of Souls."''<ref name=":1" />

After his return to Delaware in 1999, Bishop Michael Saltarelli named Barres as vice chancellor for the diocese.<ref name=":0" /> In 2000, he was named chancellor. That same year, the Vatican elevated Barres to the rank of chaplain to his holiness by the Vatican. In 2005, the Vatican named Barres as an honorary prelate. In addition to his duties as chancellor, Barres briefly became pastor of Holy Child Parish in Wilmington in May 2009.<ref name=":0" />

Barres served on the following boards while in Delaware:

* Maryland Catholic Conference * St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington * Cathedral Foundation <ref name=":0" />

=== Bishop of Allentown === thumb|Coat of arms for Barres as bishop of Allentown

On May 27, 2009, Barres was appointed the fourth bishop of Allentown by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Bishop Edward Cullen. Barres received his episcopal consecration on July 30, 2009, at the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Cardinal Justin Rigali was the principal consecrator, with Bishop W. Francis Malooly and Bishop Emeritus Michael Saltarelli as principal co-consecrators.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The Most Reverend John Oliver Barres, S.T.D., J.C.L., D.D, Fifth Bishop of Rockville Centre |url=https://www.drvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Bishop_John_Barres_bio_approved1_07_23_18.pdf |access-date=March 8, 2024 |website=Diocese of Rockville Centre}}</ref>

Barres was the first diocesan bishop of Allentown who had not served previously in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Barres established the Saint Thomas More Society for lawyers in the diocese and expanded the diocese's Hispanic ministry and evangelization.<ref name=":1" />

=== Bishop of Rockville Centre === Pope Francis appointed Barres as bishop of Rockville Centre on December 9, 2016. He was installed on January 31, 2017, at the Cathedral of Saint Agnes in Rockville Centre.<ref name=":2" />

In October 2017, Barres announced the creation of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) for survivors of acts of child sexual abuse committed by clergy in the diocese. Barres serves on the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In 2017, Barres created with Telecare, the diocesan television network, a video series targeted to commuters, entitled ''The Catholic Spirituality of Commuter Delays''.<ref name=":1" />

In August 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report criticized Barres for failing to remove a priest from the ministry after credible allegations of sexual misconduct while he was bishop in Allentown.<ref>{{cite news | access-date = August 15, 2018 | date = August 14, 2018 | url= http://www.philly.com/philly/news/michael-lawrence-pennsylvania-grand-jury-catholic-church-report-20180814.html | agency = The Inquirer | title = How the Allentown Diocese dealt with an admitted abuser}}</ref> In 2009, the diocese had received an allegation from a man that Reverend Michael Lawrence had "fondled his genitals" when he was age 13. Lawrence, who had admitted to sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy in 1982, had previously been sent to a monitored rural facility for sex offenders. In 2002, Lawrence retired from pastoral work. At some point, Barres had considered having Lawrence laicized. However, according to a spokesperson for the diocese, Barres finally decided:<blockquote>"... to withdraw the application to remove Lawrence from the clerical state out of concern that if they did, he may leave the supervised, secure facility and re-enter society, where he might be a danger to children. 'Bishop Barres stands by his decision'".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strack |first=Ben |date=2018-08-15 |title=Bishop John Barres named in report detailing alleged clergy sexual abuse cover-up in Pennsylvania |url=https://www.liherald.com/stories/bishop-john-barres-named-in-report-detailing-alleged-clergy-sexual-abuse-cover-up-in-pennsylvania,106142 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Herald Community Newspapers |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>A second case mentioned in the Pennsylvania grand jury report involved Monsignor Thomas J. Benestad, in Allentown. A 2011 accusation had stated that Benestad forced a boy in the 1980's to perform oral sex on him, then later he performed oral sex on the boy. According to the grand jury report "... the Diocese reported the allegation to the Northampton County District Attorney's office, which ... found the victim's allegations to be credible." No charges were filed because the statute of limitations had expired.<ref>"[https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/report/ Report 1 of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury]," Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, July 27, 2018, pages 321-322.</ref> A response from Barres to the grand jury report regarding the handling of the Lawrence and Benestad cases was posted online.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letter-to-Hon-DanielDye |url=https://www.drvc.org/wp-content/uploads/28-8-18-Letter-to-Hon-DanielDye.pdf |website=www.drvc.org}}</ref>

Barres is a member of Opus Dei. In addition to his native English, he is fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish.

== Publications == Barres wrote about his parents' conversion to Catholicism in the book ''One Shepherd, One Flock''<ref name=":1" />

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.drvc.org The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre Official Site]

{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{succession box | title=Bishop of Allentown | before=Edward Peter Cullen | after=Alfred Andrew Schlert | years=2009–2017 | }} {{succession box | title=Bishop of Rockville Centre | before=William Murphy | after=Incumbent| years=2017–present | }} {{s-end}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|New York (state)}} {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre}} {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barres, John}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:People from Larchmont, New York Category:Phillips Academy alumni Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Princeton Tigers men's basketball players Category:New York University Stern School of Business alumni Category:Catholic University of America alumni Category:Diocese of Wilmington Category:Roman Catholic bishops in Pennsylvania Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Category:Diocese of Allentown Category:Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia Category:American men's basketball players Category:20th-century American sportsmen