Resignation and appointment of bishop of Covington, U.S.A.

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Covington, United States of America, presented by Bishop Roger Joseph Foys.

The Holy Father has appointed Msgr. John C. Iffert, of the clergy of the diocese of Belleville, until now vicar general, moderator of the Curia and parish priest of Saint Stephen’s, Caseyville, as bishop of Covington, United States of America.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. John C. Iffert was born on 23 November 1967 in Du Quoin, Illinois, in the diocese of Belleville. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in political sciences at the Illinois State University in Normal (1988). He carried out his ecclesiastical studies at the Mundelein Seminary in the metropolitan archdiocese of Chicago, obtaining a Master of Divinity (1997).

He was ordained a priest on 7 June 1997 for the diocese of Belleville.

After priestly ordination he first served as parish vicar of the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Belleville (1997-2000) and parish priest of the Immaculate Conception parish in Columbia (2000-2003). In 2003 he entered the Order of Preachers, giving his first vows in 2004. In religious life he has served as parish vicar of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center in the Purdue University of West Lafayette, Indiana. After his experience in religious life he held the following offices in the diocese of Belleville: administrator of the Saint Mary Immaculate Conception parish in Mount Vernon (2008-2010), of the Saint Theresa of Avila parish in Salem, and of the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Kinmundy (2009-2010); parish priest of the Saint Mary Immaculate Conception parish in Mount Vernon (2010-2020); parish priest of the Saint Barbara parish in Scheller (2014-2020); vicar forane of the North Central Vicariate (2013-2020); and co-vicar for the clergy (2014-2020). From 2020 to the present he has served as vicar general and moderator of the Curia and since 2021, parish priest of the Saint Stephen parish in Caseyville. In addition, he is a member of the College of Consultors (since 2016) and of the Council for Diocesan Economic Affairs (since 2010).