Barry Christopher Knestout
Encyclopedia
Barry Christopher Knestout (born June 11, 1962) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He currently serves an auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of Washington
.
, Maryland
, to Thomas (d. 1997) and Caroline Knestout. His father was a deacon
who served as a cryptologist
for the National Security Agency
and as the director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Washington
. One of nine children, he has five brothers and three sisters. A younger brother, Mark, is also a priest
and serves as the director of the Archdiocesan Office of Worship
.
As a child, Knestout lived with his family in Ankara
, Turkey
, for four years before returning to the United States
, where he attended St. Pius X School in Bowie
and Bowie Senior High School
. He then studied at the University of Maryland
, from where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in architecture
in 1984. In 1985, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg
, earning a Master's in Divinity
(1988) and a Master of Arts
in Moral Theology
(1989).
by James Cardinal Hickey on June 24, 1989. He then served as associate pastor
at St. Bartholomew's Parish in Bethesda
until 1993 and at St. Peter's Parish in Waldorf
from 1993 to 1994. Knestout was named priest-secretary
to Cardinal Hickey in 1994, and remained in that position until Hickey's death in 2004; he also served in the same capacity to Theodore Cardinal McCarrick from 2003 to 2004. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor
in 1999, and was executive director of the Archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry
from 2001 to 2003.
Knestout became pastor
of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring
in 2004, and Archdiocesan Secretary for Pastoral Life and Social Concerns in 2006. In April 2007, he was named moderator
of the curia
and vicar for administration
of the Archdiocese. Knestout co-chaired
the Papal
Visit Planning Committee in 2008, overseeing many of the preparations for Pope Benedict XVI
's visit to the United States in April of that year. He also oversaw a contest for architecture
students from the Catholic University of America
to design the altar
and chair
used by Benedict XVI at the Mass
at the Washington Nationals
baseball stadium. He was later awarded a Holy Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
for his work.
of Washington and Titular Bishop
of Leavenworth
by Benedict XVI. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following December 29 from Archbishop Donald Wuerl
, with Bishops Francisco González Valer
, S.F., and Martin Holley
serving as co-consecrators
, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
.
He is the first native of Prince George's County
to serve as a bishop
for the Archdiocese of Washington.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He currently serves an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
.
Early life
Barry Knestout was born in CheverlyCheverly, Maryland
Cheverly is a town in central Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., United States. The town was founded in 1918 and it was incorporated in 1931. Cheverly had 6,433 residents as of the 2000 Census....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, to Thomas (d. 1997) and Caroline Knestout. His father was a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
who served as a cryptologist
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
for the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
and as the director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
. One of nine children, he has five brothers and three sisters. A younger brother, Mark, is also a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
and serves as the director of the Archdiocesan Office of Worship
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
.
As a child, Knestout lived with his family in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, for four years before returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he attended St. Pius X School in Bowie
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
and Bowie Senior High School
Bowie High School (Maryland)
Bowie High School is a public high school in Bowie, Maryland. It is part of Prince George's County Public Schools.-Academics:Bowie High School has the second highest student SAT average in Prince George's County, and is rated second on The Washington Post's Advanced Placement Challenge Index....
. He then studied at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, from where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in architecture
Bachelor of Architecture
The Bachelor of Architecture is an undergraduate academic degree designed to satisfy the academic component of professional accreditation bodies, to be followed by a period of practical training prior to professional examination and registration. It is awarded for a course of study that lasts up...
in 1984. In 1985, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg
Emmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
, earning a Master's in Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
(1988) and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Moral Theology
Ethics in religion
Most religions have an ethical component, often derived from purported supernatural revelation or guidance. "For many people, ethics is not only tied up with religion, but is completely settled by it...
(1989).
Priesthood
Knestout was ordained to the priesthoodPriesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by James Cardinal Hickey on June 24, 1989. He then served as associate pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St. Bartholomew's Parish in Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
until 1993 and at St. Peter's Parish in Waldorf
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
from 1993 to 1994. Knestout was named priest-secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
to Cardinal Hickey in 1994, and remained in that position until Hickey's death in 2004; he also served in the same capacity to Theodore Cardinal McCarrick from 2003 to 2004. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in 1999, and was executive director of the Archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry
Catholic Youth Organization
A Catholic Youth Organization is an organization for young Catholics. Usually each group uses the church for meeting and gathering, although some have their own premises. It was initiated by Bishop Bernard J...
from 2001 to 2003.
Knestout became pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
in 2004, and Archdiocesan Secretary for Pastoral Life and Social Concerns in 2006. In April 2007, he was named moderator
Team of priests in solidum
In 1983 the Catholic Church introduced the possibility of entrusting the pastoral care, of one or more parishes to a team of priests in solidum. This provision in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which resembles ancient models of pastoral care in the Roman tituli churches with their colleges of priests,...
of the curia
Curia (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholicism, a curia consists of a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular Church. These curias range from the relatively simple diocesan curia, to the larger patriarchal curias, to the Roman Curia, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.Other...
and vicar for administration
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the Archdiocese. Knestout co-chaired
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
the Papal
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Visit Planning Committee in 2008, overseeing many of the preparations for Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's visit to the United States in April of that year. He also oversaw a contest for architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
students from the Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
to design the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
and chair
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
used by Benedict XVI at the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
at the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
baseball stadium. He was later awarded a Holy Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal is an award of the Roman Catholic Church. It is also known as the "Cross of Honour". The medal was established by Leo XIII on July 17, 1888, to commemorate his golden sacerdotal jubilee and was originally bestowed on those women and men who had aided and...
for his work.
Episcopal career
On November 18, 2008, Knestout was appointed Auxiliary BishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Washington and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Leavenworth
Roman Catholic Diocese of Leavenworth
The Diocese of Leavenworth was created on May 22, 1877, by Pope Pius IX. On May 10, 1947, the diocese was renamed for what is now the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. In 1995, the Diocese of Leavenworth was restored as a titular see....
by Benedict XVI. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following December 29 from Archbishop Donald Wuerl
Donald Wuerl
Donald William Wuerl is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the sixth and current Archbishop of Washington, serving since 2006. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle and Bishop of Pittsburgh...
, with Bishops Francisco González Valer
Francisco González Valer
Francisco González Valer, S.F. is a Spanish American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.-Early life and priesthood:...
, S.F., and Martin Holley
Martin Holley
Martin Holley was born on December 31, 1954 in Escambia County Fla.. He is a Roman Catholic Bishop.Bishop Holley graduated from Tate High School in 1973, while a student at Tate High School, Bishop-Elect Holley was a basketball standout and active in student government...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew's Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St...
.
He is the first native of Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
to serve as a bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
for the Archdiocese of Washington.