Vatican announces new Indy archbishop

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Vatican on Thursday confirmed earlier online reports that Archbishop Joseph Tobin has been appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Tobin, 60, a native of Detroit, is the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He succeeds Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, whom the pope granted early retired in September 2011 due to health problems.

Tobin’s appointment was officially announced on the Vatican’s website Thursday morning. 

He was ordained a priest in 1978, the Vatican said. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis noted on its website that Tobin, who is the oldest of 13 children, has served as a priest in Detroit and Chicago. He also speaks several languages, including Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese, and reads several other languages.

Tobin will be officially introduced at a news conference at 10 a.m., the archdiocese said. He will then be installed as archbishop on Dec. 3, the feast day of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the archdiocese. The installation will be held at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis serves nearly 228,000 Catholics in 39 counties in central and southern Indiana.

Tobin will have the following public events in coming days:

• 11 a.m. Friday, mass at the LIttle Sisters of the Poor, 2345 W. 86th St.
• 8:30 a.m. Saturday, opening greeting and prayer at the Indiana Catholic Men's Conference at the Indiana Convention Center.
• 12:10 p.m. Saturday, mass at St. John the Evangelist Church, 126 W. Georgia St.