Kevin J. Sweeney is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey since 2020.
Biography
Early life and education
A native of the New York borough of Queens, Kevin Sweeney was born on January 10, 1970, to James and Agnes (Blewitt) Sweeney. He has a sister, Marie Shanahan, and a brother, Brendan.[2] Kevin Sweeney grew up in St. Luke's Parish in Whitestone, Queens, and attended Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary in Queens from 1984 to 1988. Sweeney played on the school baseball team; he entered the Cathedral Prep hall of fame in 2013.[3]
Deciding that he wanted to become a priest, Sweeney entered the Cathedral Seminary in Douglaston, New York. He then enrolled at St. John's University in New York City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1992.[4]
After finishing at St. John's, Sweeney continued his studies at Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York. During his time at the seminary, Sweeney spent a pastoral year at St. Agatha's Parish in Brooklyn . Sweeney was awarded a Master of Divinity degree in theology in 1997[4][3]
In 2004, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio named Sweeney as vocations director, a position he held until 2010. During this time, he also served as the first director of the Pope John Paul II House of Discernment in Brooklyn. Sweeney was named as chaplain in 2005 at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and spiritual director at Jovenes de Valor, a Catholic youth movement in the diocese. [4]
In January 2010, Sweeney was appointed pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Brooklyn's Sunset Park section, a post he held until 2020. He was also named dean of the Brooklyn 8 Deanery in 2013.[4]
