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Bishop Victor B. Galeone was installed as the ninth
bishop of the Diocese of Saint Augustine on August 21,
2001. He
succeeded Bishop John J. Snyder who retired after serving almost 22 years as the
eighth bishop of the Diocese of Saint Augustine.
Bishop Galeone was born September 13, 1935 in Philadelphia, son of Angelo
and Rita DeVitorio Galeone. He received his elementary education at St.
Elizabeth School, Baltimore. He was accepted as a candidate for the priesthood
by the Archdiocese of Baltimore and made his high school and initial college
studies at St. Charles College, Baltimore.
Because of his outstanding scholastic record, he was assigned to the
Pontifical North American College, Rome, to pursue studies in philosophy and
theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (1955-1961).
Bishop Galeone was ordained to the
priesthood in Rome by Bishop Martin J. O=Connor,
rector of the North American College, on December 18, 1960. He received an S T L from Gregorian
University, Rome in 1961. On his return to the United States he served
as assistant pastor in several parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He was
named professor, and later principal, at St. Paul Latin High School (1962-1969),
a seminary preparatory program, by Cardinal Lawrence J. Shehan. A Masters in Education degree from Loyola
College in Baltimore was conferred in 1969.
Monsignor Galeone served two periods as a missionary priest in Peru under
the auspices of the Society of St. James the Apostle (1970-1975 and 1978-1985).
Between the two periods of missionary service in South America, he was assigned
as associate pastor at St. William of York Parish, Baltimore. In the years
1985-1989, he was pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Baltimore. While there he
successfully faced the challenging situation of preparing the parish for
transition from a territorial parish to a personal parish to meet the needs of
the many Koreans in the Baltimore area.
From 1989 to 1996, Monsignor Galeone served as a most effective pastor at
St. Thomas More Parish, Baltimore. In 1996, Cardinal William H. Keeler appointed
him pastor of St. Agnes Parish, Catonsville, MD. In December, 1995, the Holy
Father named him a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor).
In addition, Monsignor Galeone has served
on the Board of Associated Catholic Charities and functioned as the liaison
between this important social services agency and the Archdiocesan Presbyteral
Council. Since 1992, he has served on both the College of Consultors and the
Presbyteral Council.
As
Archdiocesan Director of Pilgrimages for several years, Monsignor Galeone
demonstrated his ability at organization and inspirational motivation in the
planning of pilgrimages to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D.C.
In 1995, Cardinal Keeler named Monsignor Galeone
Archdiocesan Director of the Propagation of the Faith Office. Most recently, he
has coordinated archdiocesan efforts to assist the sister diocese of Les Gonaives in Haiti. He has visited Haiti and has organized groups from the
Archdiocese of Baltimore to travel to Haiti to work as well as assist in raising
money for projects designated by Haiti=s
diocesan bishop.
In his own
parish, St. Agnes, Monsignor Galeone initiated a vocation awareness and
discernment program that touched the lives of a number of Catholic young men.
Regularly, the Archdiocese assigned deacons and seminarians to his supervision,
as they prepare for priestly ordination.
Bishop Galeone's episcopal motto is Love, Joy, Peace. |
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