The Diocese of Cleveland announced a new bishop on Tuesday to assume leadership position following Bishop Lennon's retirement.
Pope Francis has named Bishop Nelson J. Perez, 56, of Rockville Centre, New York, as the new Bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.
Bishop-designate Perez was born in Miami, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Montclair State University in 1983 before teaching at Colegio la Piedad, a Catholic elementary school in Puerto Rico.
After working in Puerto Rico, Bishop-designate Perez went on to enter Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he earned Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Theology degrees.
He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1989. In 1998, Bishop-designate Perez was named a chaplain to His Holiness by Pope John Paul II and Prelate of Honor in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.
In 2012, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and received Episcopal Ordination on July 25, 2012.
Bishop-designate Perez will be installed as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland at Solemn Mass on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at the Cathedral of St. John Evangelist in Cleveland.
Following the retirement of Bishop Richard Lennon at the end of 2016, Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toldeo assumed duties for the Diocese of Cleveland.
The Diocese of Cleveland comprises 3,414 square miles that include eight counties in Northeast Ohio.
