According to the site, http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/, there are something like 320 active U.S. bishops and, interestingly, Indiana has the two oldest of the entire group and they are in geographically adjacent dioceses to boot: bishop John D'Arcy (South Bend-Fort Wayne) at 77 and bishop William Higi (Lafayette in Indiana) at 76. Last night, Catholic News Agency (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/) posted an article quoting D'Arcy as saying that "his successor is not too far away." So some changes are coming, but precisely when we know not. 75 is the mandatory age for bishops to tender their retirement request to the Holy Father, but it can take awhile for the request to be granted.
Earlier this Spring, D'Arcy spoke out (fort wayne's, wane.com) against the scandal caused by Notre Dame's decision to bestow an honorary law degree on President Obama at the university's commencement ceremonies. D'Arcy handled the matter with an appropriate balance of charity and admonition. I have been privileged to see him celebrate Mass on a few occasions while watching my kids play soccer in Fort Wayne. He is widely loved and his leadership as Bishop will be missed by many when he retires, although I suspect he will remain active in retirement. Given the Notre Dame issues and Benedict XVI's recent appointments of Bishops (conservative, orthodox, young), it will be interesting to see who succeeds D'Arcy and Higi.
