Edward J. Burns


Edward James Burns is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as the Bishop of Dallas, Texas, since 2017. He was previously the Bishop of Juneau, Alaska.
Before becoming a bishop, he spent nine years working for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and as bishop has filled various position there, currently Chairman of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and a member of its Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions. He speaks Spanish as well as English.

Biography

Early life and education

Edward Burns was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Donald and Geraldine Burns; he has a brother, Robert. He attended Lincoln High School in Ellwood City. He attended Saint Paul Seminary at Duquesne University, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in philosophy and sociology. He also earned a Master of Divinity degree and a Master of Theology degree from Mount St. Mary's Seminary at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Ordination and ministry

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Vincent Leonard on June 25, 1983, and then served as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania and Immaculate Conception in Washington, Pennsylvania. In 1991, Burns was made Vocations Director and Vice-Rector of St. Paul Seminary in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, where he became Rector in 1996.
He was also executive director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for nine years beginning in 1999. Under his leadership that office produced an award-winning DVD Fishers of Men on the lives of priests. He published a booklet, We Were There, that described the experiences of priests who served at the sites of destruction on 9/11.
In 2008, he returned to his posts as rector of St. Paul Seminary and vocations director for the Pittsburgh diocese. In 2002 he was co-chairman of a Vatican-ordered congress on vocations in North America and in 2005-06 he provided support for a Vatican review of all Catholic seminaries in the U.S. He received the title of Monsignor in 2006.

Bishop of Juneau

On January 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Burns the fifth bishop of Juneau, Alaska. a diocese with a Catholic population of 6,100 in southeastern Alaska. He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 3 at the St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh from Bishop David Zubik, with Archbishops Roger Schweitz, OMI, and Donald Cardinal Wuerl serving as co-consecrators; this was separate from his installation ceremony for the convenience of friends in the 48 contiguous United States, because of the distance to Alaska. He chose as his episcopal motto "Pray with Confidence". He was installed in Juneau on April 2, 2009.

Bishop of Dallas

On December 13, 2016, Pope Francis appointed Burns the eighth Bishop of Dallas, Texas, to succeed Kevin Farrell, who was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life on September 1, 2016. His installation was on February 9, 2017, at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.