[UPDATE 3: Auxiliary Bishop Robert Hermann has been chosen as the temporary Archdiocesan Administrator - please pray for him as he takes on this new role!]
I woke up this morning to some of the saddest news of the year in our Archdiocese; I received a text message and an email announcing the departure of Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke, the former spiritual father of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Effective at 5 a.m. CDT today, he became the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura (press release from the Vatican).
All of us in St. Louis will surely miss this great Archbishop, who was truly a Father to his people! Please pray to the Holy Spirit for our Archdiocese, so we can get a new archbishop who has the same devotion to his faithful and example to all the people in this Archdiocese.
[UPDATES: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has picked up this story, and, of course, they are mentioning his 'controversial actions' in St. Louis; expect some dissension from certain parts of the media... There will be a press conference at 11:00 a.m. today. (I'll link you to a transcript, if one becomes available).]
Also, here are a few links to more coverage of Archbishop Burke's departure: