Corpus Christi Pastor Elevated to Bishop

The pastor of Corpus Christi in Mineola will be serving both God and country after being elevated to the position of bishop of the Archdiocese of the Military.

Pope Benedict XVI elevated Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Coyle to the position on Feb. 11, with the announcement being made in Washington, D.C.

“Today, I humbly accept the appointment of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to serve the people of God as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese for the Military Services,” Coyle said in a statement. “I look toward to assisting Archbishop Timothy Broglio in service to the people of this vast archdiocese. Ever grateful for the many members of the military family who have shaped my life over the last 25 years, I especially ask for the intercession of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, patroness of the Sea Services. In this Year of Faith, I now set out on a new course in service to Our Lord Jesus and His Church. May we pray for one another.”

Coyle, now Bishop-elect, will be ordained to his new position by the current Archbishop for the Military Services, Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2013.

“While this means that the Diocese of Rockville Centre will be losing a fine priest and a very dedicated pastor, we, priests and all the faithful of our Diocese, can take pride that the Holy Father has turned to the Presbyterate of our Diocese to choose a bishop to serve the young men and women who defend our country and are true peacemakers around the world,” Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy said in a statement.

Coyle was born in Brooklyn in 1964, the son of Robert and Kathryn Coyle. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop McGann in 1991 and served as an associate pastor first in Saint Dominick parish, Oyster Bay and then in Saint Patrick parish, Glen Cove.

In 1999 he was recalled to active duty. He is a decorated Navy chaplain and was a command chaplain aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. He has also served on the USS Harry Truman on deployment to the Persian Gulf and as command chaplain at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. While assigned to the USS Eisenhower, Pope Benedict XVI named Coyle a chaplain of honor with the title of Monsignor in 2008 in recognition of his outstanding service caring for the spiritual needs of Catholics and others of all faiths in the U.S. Navy. He was appointed as pastor of Corpus Christi that same year.

“In these four years he has had to face many pastoral challenges and has done so with a pastor’s heart and with priestly zeal,” Murphy said. “The parish is composed of families who have been in Mineola for many generations, many of them of Portuguese extraction, plus more newly arrived from Latin America, Asia and Africa. He will be sorely missed and not easy to replace.”

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