John Barres

The fifth of six children, John Barres was born to Oliver and Marjorie (née Catchpole) Barres in Larchmont, New York.[1] His parents were Brethren ministers[2] who met each other at Yale Divinity School and later converted to Catholicism in 1955; his father wrote of their conversion in the book One Shepherd, One Flock. Barres was baptized by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.[3]

He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, before studying at Princeton University, where he obtained a B.A. in English literature, and at New York University's School of Business Administration, where he earned an M.B.A. in Management (1984). He received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1988, and a Licentiate in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America, and received his seminary formation at its Theological College.[1]

Barres was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert Mulvee on October 21, 1989. He served as an associate pastor at Holy Family Church[4] in Newark, Delaware, until 1992, and at St. Elizabeth Church in Wilmington from 1992 to 1996. He then returned to the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, where he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1998 and a Doctorate in Spirituality in 1999; his thesis was entitled "Jean-Jacques Olier's Priestly Spirituality: Mental Prayer and Virtue as the Foundation for the Direction of Souls."[3]

Upon his return to the United States in 1999, Barres became vice chancellor for the Diocese of Wilmington.[1] In 2000, he was named chancellor and a Chaplain to His Holiness. In 2005 Monsignor Barres was made an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in November 2005. He served on various diocesan boards and committees, as well as the Administrative Board of the Maryland Catholic Conference, the Board of St. Francis Hospital, and the Board of the Cathedral Foundation.[3] In addition to his duties as chancellor, he briefly became pastor of the Church of the Holy Child in Wilmington in May 2009.

He is a member of the Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei. In addition to his native English, he is fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish.

Coat of Arms as Bishop of Allentown

On May 27, 2009, Barres was appointed the fourth Bishop of Allentown, Pennsylvania, by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Bishop Edward Cullen, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in March 2008. Barres received his episcopal consecration on July 30, 2009, at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena. Justin Rigali, Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphia, was the principal consecrator, and Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington and Michael Saltarelli, Bishop emeritus of Wilmington, were the principal co-consecrators.[5] As Bishop of Allentown, Barres was the spiritual leader of over 276,000 Catholics in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County.[6] He is also the first diocesan bishop of Allentown who did not previously serve the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Bishop Barres established the Saint Thomas More Society for lawyers, and expanded the diocese's Hispanic ministry and evangelization.[5]

Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Rockville Centre, New York, on December 9, 2016.[7] His installation was celebrated on January 31, 2017 at the Cathedral of Saint Agnes, Rockville Centre, New York. In October 2017, Bishop Barres announced the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) for survivors of acts of child sexual abuse committed by clergy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Bishop Barres serves on the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).[5] In the summer of 2017, Barres created with Telecare, the diocesan television network, a video series targeted to commuters, entitled "The Catholic Spirituality of Commuter Delays."[5]

In August 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report criticized Barres for failing to remove a priest from the ministry after credible allegations of sexual misconduct, while Bishop of Allentown.[8] In 2009, the Diocese of Allentown received a report from an alleged male victim that Father Michael Lawrence had "fondled his genitals" when he was 13. Lawrence, who had admitted to sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy in 1982, had previously been sent to live in a carefully monitored rural facility for sex offenders. In 2002, he retired. Barres considered having Fr. Lawrence removed from the clerical state, but, according to a spokesperson for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, "...decided to withdraw the application to remove Lawrence from the clerical state out of concern that if they did, he may leave the supervised, secure facility and re-enter society, where he might be a danger to children. 'Bishop Barres stands by his decision'".[9] A response from Bishop Barres to the grand jury report regarding the handling of the cases of both Lawrence and Benestad was posted online.[10]

A second case involved Msgr. Thomas J. Benestad, who was accused in 2011 of forcing a boy in the 1980s to perform oral sex on him while later performing oral sex on the boy. According to the grand jury report "... the Diocese reported the allegation to the Northampton County District Attorney's office, which ... found the victim's allegations to be credible." No charges were filed because the statute of limitations had expired.[11]

• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre Official Site