By Rory McNelley, Staff Writer

Cincinnati has officially installed its 10th Archbishop, Most Reverend Robert Casey. Archbishop Casey is now in charge of 230 parishes stretching across nine counties in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Casey is the son of a butcher and nurse and he grew up in an Irish Catholic household in 1980s Chicago The fourth of five children, he had no aspirations of being a priest growing up. It was not until senior year of high school that the idea crossed his mind. 

In high school, Casey was accredited with helping form the teen club at his home parish as well as teaching Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes. After graduation, he attended Niles College Seminary to receive his bachelor’s degree in English. Casey then pursued his Master’s of Divinity at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. 

Ordained a priest on May 21, 1994, Casey served as a parish priest before moving on to leadership roles, which eventually led to his appointment as Archbishop, replacing Dennis Schnurr.

He was appointed Archbishop by Pope Francis on Feb. 12 and was ordained on April 3 by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who was the archbishop of Cincinnati from 1972 to 1982.

A welcome ceremony and Mass occurred at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains. Prior to accepting his new role, Casey served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago.

One of Casey’s main goals as archbishop is to emphasize forgiveness and positive affirmation in modern society. 

“We have to be able to see the dignity in one another. When we tend to criminalize or dehumanize parts of our society, that’s worrisome for me,” Casey said to WLWT News about seeking common ground and cooperation. 

Casey shared his goals to build dialogue and relationships with those who hold different beliefs and cultural practices. Casey pointed to the shared experiences of our city as an opportunity for finding common ground. 

With Mass attendance declining worldwide alongside fewer priests and an absence of youth in the Church, Casey believes it’s important to reflect on the present moment. 

“People will talk today about people leaving the church,” he said. “The question I have is did they ever belong to the church? So often when we talk to our younger Catholics, forty and younger, we discover that they never truly felt truly welcome or at home. And so, it’s less a work of bringing people back to the church and more of the work of bringing people into the church,” Casey said.

In preparation for leading 400,000 Cincinnati Catholics, Casey sat down with The Cincinnati Enquirer for an interview. 

“We’re in a new moment as a church,” Casey said. “It forces us to kind of reassess how we live and move and have our being in society. That comes with a challenge, but it also comes with an opportunity.”

In his free time, Casey enjoys long-distance running and is currently training for his sixth marathon. He is also fluent in Spanish and deeply devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Casey comes to the Archdiocese with anticipation about what he will accomplish, and hopes to better the Catholic community.