New bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend rumor

In keeping with my last post, I'm going to lay another set of cards on the "bishop rumors" table.

Bishop John Michael D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend Indiana is over two years past his mandatory age of retirement.

The appointment of his successor is a delicate call to make because the University of Notre Dame is in this diocese. Bishop D'Arcy received national attention earlier this year when President Obama was invited to give Notre Dame's commencement address (more).

Back in early September I heard reports that a new bishop had been chosen for this diocese, and that the announcement would be made in early October.

Well, here we are with the first Tuesday of October around the corner.

The same reports suggested that the successor would be an auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Currently there are six auxiliary bishops in Chicago, and of them, my bet is on Bishop Thomas Paprocki.

It is also interesting to note that the Fort Wayne-South Bend official diocesan website - long overdue for an overhaul - debuted a new, modern design very recently.

Perhaps because it is expecting a bump in traffic soon.