Jeffrey M. Monforton

Jeffrey Monforton was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is the son of Marc Louis and Virginia Rose (Ackerman) Monforton, and is the eldest of three sons.[1] Monforton received his early education at Tinkham Elementary School in Westland, Michigan, John Marshall Junior High and graduated from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan. He attended Wayne State University before he studied for the priesthood at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where he received a degree in philosophy. He then continued his priestly formation prior to ordination at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy and studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University, also in Rome, where he earned a bachelor's, licentiate and doctorate in sacred theology.[2] He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit by Cardinal Adam Joseph Maida in the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on June 25, 1994.[3][4]

After ordination Father Monforton served as the associate pastor and taught religion in the parish high school at the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan (1994–1996). He served Cardinal Maida as a personal secretary from 1998–2005, and on the faculty of Sacred Heart Seminary from 2002–2005. Pope Benedict XVI named him a Chaplain of His Holiness, with the title Monsignor, in 2005.[2] Msgr. Monforton served as pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township, Michigan from 2005–2006 and rector of Sacred Heart Seminary from 2006–2012. From May until July 2012 he was pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Rochester, Michigan.[5] He joined the board of trustees of Madonna University in 2006 and he was an apostolic visitator of the Congregation for Catholic Education for the apostolic visitation of seminaries and houses of formation in the United States during the 2005–2006 academic year.[2]

Msgr. Monforton was named the bishop of Steubenville by Pope Benedict XVI on July 3, 2012. His episcopal consecration took place on September 10, 2012. Archbishop Dennis Marion Schnurr of Cincinnati was the consecrating prelate. Cardinal Maida and Archbishop Allen Henry Vigneron of Detroit were the co-consecrators.[3]

Since 2012, he has served on the United States Conference of Bishops Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, and in 2019 was named Chairman of the Subcommittee. In 2019, Bishop Monforton became a member of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. As a request from Catholic Relief Services, Bishop Monforton visited Iraq in 2019 to assess their needs.

In 2013, Bishop Monforton announced renovations to Holy Name Cathedral. That initiative has since been suspended in 2018, following the discovery of financial irregularities in the diocesan finance office.[6]

In 2017, the diocese embarked in a year of reconsecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, patroness of the diocese. This was accompanied by the formation of an 18-person ad hoc task force to ascertain the present pastoral needs of the diocese. A survey was also shared with all priests and with all diocesan households.

In May 2018, the Diocese faced financial scandal when it became apparent that since 2004 the financial department had been mis-allocating funds from employee paychecks. Bishop Monforton embarked on a forensic audit of the diocesan finances dating back to 2014. The diocese paid 3.5 million in back taxes, causing cuts to certain diocesan offices. Following the austerity measures, the diocese balanced its financial standing following the diocesan financial irregularities. His Vicar General, Msgr. Kurt Kemo resigned.[7]

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville Official Site