USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - 20 New Members Are Announced for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops" National Advisory Council

20 New Members Are Announced for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops" National Advisory Council

WASHINGTON (January 29, 2003) -- Twenty new members have been added to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops" National Advisory Council, a 63-member body which meets semi-annually to review documentation and offer recommendations concerning matters before the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Joining the Council from the membership of the USCCB Administrative Committee for a three-year term is Bishop Gordon Bennett, SJ, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore.

In the Diocesan Priest Category, new diocesan priest representatives, elected to four-year terms, are: Reverend William Hammer, Louisville, KY; Reverend Stephen Knox, DeKalb, IL; Reverend William Sheridan, Montclair, NJ; Monsignor Richard Sniezyk, Springfield, MA.

From the fourteen regions of the Conference, those having regional elections in 2002 have announced the following new lay men and women representatives who will serve a four-year term: Region 5: Anh Quang Cao of New Orleans, LA, and Sandra Henry of Lexington, KY; Region 9: David Mueckl of St. Louis, MO, and Beatrice Swoopes of Lenexa, KS; Region 12: Eric Schiedermayer of Missoula, MT, and Lita McBride of Seattle, WA; Region 13: Antonio Luj�n of Las Cruces, NM, and Brenda Moran of Hobbs, NM.

In the At-Large category, at-large members (representing all categories of membership) are appointed by a selection committee of the National Advisory Council from names proposed by the bishops of the 195 dioceses. These individuals are selected to provide an occupational, ethnic and regional balance to the Council. New at-large members to the Council are Tara Carr, San Francisco, CA; Jes�s Espinoza, Portland, OR; Thomas Gerrets, Madison, MS; Deacon Guillermo G�mez, Hollis, NY; Angeline Kinnaman, Rawlins, WY; Javier Mu�oz, Newark, NJ; Daniel Otero, Cincinnati, OH.

The 2003 officers of the Council are Mr. Brian Corbin, Youngstown, OH, Chairperson; Ms. Adriana Vlasic, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Chairperson-Elect; Mr. Juan Escobar, Pottstown, PA, Secretary; Mr. Santiago Fern�ndez, Waterford, MI, Internal Affairs; Sister Joanne Hanrahan, SSND, St. Louis, MO, Reactive Chairperson; Reverend Steven Verhelst, Benson, MN, Proactive Chairperson. The past Chairperson of the Council is Sidney Simmons, II, Esq., Jacksonville, FL.