For only the 11th time in the 170-year history of the Diocese of Cleveland, a bishop will be installed to lead the more than 675,000 Catholics in the eight-county diocese.
The Most Rev. Nelson J. Perez will be installed as Cleveland’s 11th bishop at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5 in a special Mass at St. John Cathedral in downtown Cleveland. Bishop Perez, 56, was named by Pope Francis on July 11 to succeed Bishop Richard G. Lennon who retired for medical reasons on Dec. 28, 2016. Prior to the Sept. 5 installation, a special Vespers (evening prayer) service will take place at the cathedral. It will be led by Toledo Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cleveland. The 5:30 p.m. service on Labor Day, Sept. 4, is invitation-only due to limited seating in the cathedral. Invitation-only policy also applies to the installation Mass on Sept. 5. Tickets are required for both liturgies.
Because of the limited seating, various opportunities to view both services will be made available. A multi-camera production will provide live streaming over the internet. Also, a special website, bishopperezinstallation.org, was created to accommodate the thousands who are expected to view the events online. Live television coverage of the installation Mass will be offered on the EWTN nationwide cable television network, the CatholicTV cable network and on radio stations WCCR AM 1260 The Rock and WILB 1060, Living Bread Radio. The Diocese of Cleveland will feature special live coverage of the two events with commentary. The live stream can be accessed at bishopperezinstallation.org. Other media outlets also are expected to stream one or both liturgies on their websites.
Bishop Nelson J. Perez was born in Miami, Florida, on June 16, 1961 and was raised in West New York, New Jersey. After receiving a degree in psychology from Montclair State University in 1983, he entered the seminary and was ordained in 1989. He was appointed as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, in 2012 and was named Bishop of Cleveland by Pope Francis on July 11. Bishop Perez will be the first bishop of Hispanic heritage to lead a diocese in the Midwest of the United States.