WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Peter J. Byrne, 75, from the Office of Auxiliary Bishop of New York.
The resignation was publicized in Washington, D.C., on October 5, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Byrne had submitted his letter of resignation on his 75th birthday, on July 24, 2026, as required by Canon Law.
As Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus, Bishop Byrne will continue to serve as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish on Staten Island.
Bishop Byrne expressed his gratitude for his years serving in the archdiocese. “I thank Almighty God that, for the past 42 years, I have been able to serve Jesus and His Church as a priest, and these past dozen years as a bishop. My thanks to our Holy Father, Pope Leo, for the gift of retirement, and I pledge to Archbishop Hicks my continued loyalty and willingness to serve God’s people in this magnificent Archdiocese of New York.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks, Archbishop of New York, said, “In the eight months that I have been in New York, I have come to recognize that Bishop Byrne is a true shepherd, intensely close to his flock, who loves being a priest with his people. I am especially glad that he will continue to serve as a pastor, and I know that I can call on him to serve whenever and however he may be needed.”
Born in Manhattan in 1951, Bishop Byrne was ordained a priest by Cardinal John O’Connor in December 1984, and served in a variety of parishes in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese in 2014, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan ordained him to the episcopacy, with Bishop Dominick Lagonegro and Bishop Gerald Walsh as co-consecrators.
The Archdiocese of New York is comprised of 4,683 square miles in the State of New York.