It was officially announced that His Excellency, Blase Cupich, previously bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, will replace the retiring Bishop William Skylstad as bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, Washington.
With the transfer of Bishop Cupich to Spokane, there are now three vacant Latin Rite dioceses in the U.S.: the dioceses of Rapid City, SD, and Orlando, FL, plus the Archdiocese of San Antonio, TX.
With Bishop Skystad's retirement, there remain five ordinaries serving past the age at which they are required to submit their resignations to the Holy Father (seventy-five): Justin Cardinal Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, along with Archbishops Brunett and Beltran of Seattle and Oklahoma City respectively, plus Bishop Boland of Savannah, GA, along with Bishop Smith of Trenton, New Jersey. Bishop Smith has a coadjutor in the person of Bishop David O'Connell, CM. Three more Latin Rite ordinaries will reach retirement age before the end of August.
