Joseph William Tobin
Encyclopedia
Joseph William Tobin C.Ss.R
(3 May 1952 - ) is the current secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI
on 2 August 2010.
Tobin was born in Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan
, in 1952, the oldest of 13 children. At the end of the path of training for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
(Redemptorists), he made his temporary profession of vows
on 5 August 1972 and the perpetual vows on 21 August 1976. He was ordained a priest
on 1 June 1978.
In 1975 he obtained a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Holy Redeemer College, Waterford, Wisconsin
in 1977 and, in 1979, a Master's in Religious Education and the Master of Divinity ( Pastoral Theology ) at the Mount Saint Alphonsus Major Seminary (Esopus, New York).
From 1979 to 1984 Archbishop Tobin was the parochial vicar of Holy Redeemer Parish in Detroit. He was then named pastor of Holy Redeemer, and served from 1984 to 1990. From 1990 to 1991, he served as pastor of Saint Alphonsus Parish in Chicago, Illinois. He served as an episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1980 to 1986; he also offered his collaboration to the local diocesan marriage tribunal.
He was elected General Consultor of the Redemptorist Fathers in 1991 and on 9 September 1997 was elected Superior General, confirmed for another term in this post 26 September 2003. That same year he became Vice-President of the Union of Superiors General.
He was also member of the Council for Relations between the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the International Union of Superiors General from 2001 to 2009.
Fr Tobin spent 2010 taking a sabbatical attached to Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, and staying with the De La Salle Brothers. He pursued his interest in the rise of secularisation and secular culture, attending seminars by the sociologist of religion and anthropologist Peter Clarke
, studying at the Las Casas Institute and taking classes at Blackfriars.
He speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.
.) In May 2009 Tobin was named to oversee the professed men's element of the forthcoming Apostolic Visitation
of the Church in Ireland
, which is reportedly slated to get underway come September 2010. He received his episcopal consecration
in Rome on 9 October 2010. Tobin was told two weeks before the announcement was made. He recalls that "I was painting my mom's house in Ontario when the phone rang. The voice on the other end said it was Cardinal Bertone, and my first thought was that it was a prank … you know, I thought maybe it was one of the Redemptorists fooling around. Quickly, though, I realized that it really was Bertone, and he said that the Holy Father wants you to do this. My first reaction was to tell him that off the top of my head, I could give him the names of five people much more qualified to do this job than I am. I was completely serious about it. But Cardinal Bertone said no, this is what the Holy Father wants. He said I could take a week to ten days to think about it, so I talked to my superiors, my closest friends in religious life, and my spiritual director".
Tobin said that "“But my hope is that the Vatican’s relationship with the local churches can be a sort of creative tension. I think life without tension would be very boring and useless.We can’t walk, we can’t talk, we can’t sing without tension. You need to have tension in your vocal chords and your back, let alone a guitar. However, tension can be destructive. The challenge is to recognise the diversity of gifts and the plurality of churches and the one spirit that unites us. And I think that is the adventure of a lifetime."
Archbishop Tobin will be responsible for the Apostolic Visitation of American nuns, expected to end in late 2011, and also help oversee the visitation of the Legionaries of Christ that led to Pope Benedict’s recent decision to appoint an Apostolic Delegate for the order, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis
.
In December 2010 Archbishop Tobin said that Rome must acknowledge the “depth of anger and hurt” provoked by a visitation of American nuns, saying it illustrates the need for a “strategy of reconciliation” with women religious. Announced in early 2009, the visitation is currently in “phase three”, meaning on-site visits to selected congregations. The aim is for reports to be delivered to the Vatican throughout 2011, marking the formal end of the process.
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
(3 May 1952 - ) is the current secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
since his appointment by 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...
on 2 August 2010.
Tobin was born in Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, in 1952, the oldest of 13 children. At the end of the path of training for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
(Redemptorists), he made his temporary profession of vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
on 5 August 1972 and the perpetual vows on 21 August 1976. He was ordained 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....
on 1 June 1978.
In 1975 he obtained a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Holy Redeemer College, Waterford, Wisconsin
Waterford, Wisconsin
Waterford is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,048 at the 2000 census. The village is located mostly within the Town of Waterford...
in 1977 and, in 1979, a Master's in Religious Education and the Master of Divinity ( Pastoral Theology ) at the Mount Saint Alphonsus Major Seminary (Esopus, New York).
From 1979 to 1984 Archbishop Tobin was the parochial vicar of Holy Redeemer Parish in Detroit. He was then named pastor of Holy Redeemer, and served from 1984 to 1990. From 1990 to 1991, he served as pastor of Saint Alphonsus Parish in Chicago, Illinois. He served as an episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1980 to 1986; he also offered his collaboration to the local diocesan marriage tribunal.
He was elected General Consultor of the Redemptorist Fathers in 1991 and on 9 September 1997 was elected Superior General, confirmed for another term in this post 26 September 2003. That same year he became Vice-President of the Union of Superiors General.
He was also member of the Council for Relations between the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the International Union of Superiors General from 2001 to 2009.
Fr Tobin spent 2010 taking a sabbatical attached to Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, and staying with the De La Salle Brothers. He pursued his interest in the rise of secularisation and secular culture, attending seminars by the sociologist of religion and anthropologist Peter Clarke
Peter B. Clarke
Peter Bernard Clarke was a British scholar of religion and founding editor of the Journal of Contemporary Religion.-Academic career:...
, studying at the Las Casas Institute and taking classes at Blackfriars.
He speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.
Episcopal career
On 2 August 2010 Tobin was appointed as secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and Titular Archbishop of Obba. Tobin is the second US cleric to hold the post. (In 1969, Holy Cross Father Edward Heston, an Ohio native, was named secretary by Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
.) In May 2009 Tobin was named to oversee the professed men's element of the forthcoming Apostolic Visitation
Apostolic visitation to Ireland
The Apostolic visitation to Ireland was announced on 20 March 2010 in the pastoral letter written by Pope Benedict XVI to Irish Catholics after the publication of the Ryan and Murphy Reports in 2009...
of the Church in Ireland
Roman Catholicism in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church with full communion with the Pope, currently Benedict XVI...
, which is reportedly slated to get underway come September 2010. 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....
in Rome on 9 October 2010. Tobin was told two weeks before the announcement was made. He recalls that "I was painting my mom's house in Ontario when the phone rang. The voice on the other end said it was Cardinal Bertone, and my first thought was that it was a prank … you know, I thought maybe it was one of the Redemptorists fooling around. Quickly, though, I realized that it really was Bertone, and he said that the Holy Father wants you to do this. My first reaction was to tell him that off the top of my head, I could give him the names of five people much more qualified to do this job than I am. I was completely serious about it. But Cardinal Bertone said no, this is what the Holy Father wants. He said I could take a week to ten days to think about it, so I talked to my superiors, my closest friends in religious life, and my spiritual director".
Tobin said that "“But my hope is that the Vatican’s relationship with the local churches can be a sort of creative tension. I think life without tension would be very boring and useless.We can’t walk, we can’t talk, we can’t sing without tension. You need to have tension in your vocal chords and your back, let alone a guitar. However, tension can be destructive. The challenge is to recognise the diversity of gifts and the plurality of churches and the one spirit that unites us. And I think that is the adventure of a lifetime."
Archbishop Tobin will be responsible for the Apostolic Visitation of American nuns, expected to end in late 2011, and also help oversee the visitation of the Legionaries of Christ that led to Pope Benedict’s recent decision to appoint an Apostolic Delegate for the order, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis
Velasio de Paolis
Velasio de Paolis, CS JCD STL is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was president emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and is Pontifical Delegate for the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.-Early life:De Paolis was born in Sonnino, and became a...
.
In December 2010 Archbishop Tobin said that Rome must acknowledge the “depth of anger and hurt” provoked by a visitation of American nuns, saying it illustrates the need for a “strategy of reconciliation” with women religious. Announced in early 2009, the visitation is currently in “phase three”, meaning on-site visits to selected congregations. The aim is for reports to be delivered to the Vatican throughout 2011, marking the formal end of the process.
See also
- List of the Catholic bishops of the United States #American bishops serving outside the United States