June 4, 2010 - Rev. Rodney J. Copp, JCL Appointed Director Society for the Propagation of the Faith

6/4/10

Braintree, MA -- Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley announced today the appointment of Rev. Rodney J. Copp, JCL, pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Waltham, as Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith for the Archdiocese of Boston.  He succeeds Rev. Thomas A. Kopp who serves as administrator of St. Anselm’s Rectorate in Sudbury, MA. 
 
Cardinal Seán said, “I am pleased to welcome Fr. Copp to this important role in service to the Catholic community through our mission ministry.  All across the world the needs of people are being addressed because of the prayerful, personal and financial sacrifice provided through our missions.  Fr. Copp will be instrumental in shepherding our efforts in the Archdiocese and with missions around the globe.”

Very Reverend Richard M. Erikson, Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia, said, “Fr. Copp is an exceptional priest who shares the Holy Father’s and the Cardinal’s commitment to supporting the work of the Church’s worldwide missionary efforts.  Over the years we have called on Fr. Copp to serve and he has always answered the call with great generosity.  I am grateful to Fr. Tom Kopp for his service as Director of the Society for the Propagation over the three years.  Fr. Kopp has demonstrated a passion for the mission of The Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Boston.”

“I am honored by the confidence that Cardinal Seán is showing in me to serve in this important position,” said Fr. Copp.  “It is a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Fr. Tom Kopp who has done so much good in this area and to be able to work closely with our missions in places such as Latin America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere.  In particular I want to offer my appreciation to the very generous faithful here in the Archdiocese for making our work possible and impactful.  And I also wish to thank my fellow priests for their continued support of my priestly ministry and for their prayers as I begin this new and exciting opportunity.” 

Ordained in 1973, Fr. Copp will continue as pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish where he has served since 1997.  Previously he served as Parochial Vicar in Saint Joseph Parish in Belmont and in 1987 was appointed Secretary to the Metropolitan Tribunal serving there for two years.  He earned his Licentiate in Canon Law at The Catholic University of America in 1991 and was appointed Judge of the Metropolitan Tribunal, where he currently serves as Promoter of Justice.    Fr. Copp serves on a number of Committees in the Archdiocese: as Vice-Chair and a leader of the Catholic Appeal Pastors Advisory Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Foundation.  Fr. Copp is the recipient of the "Priest of the Year" award given by the members of the Boston Catholic Men's Conference in 2009.  He was inducted as a member of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 2009.

The Pontifical Mission Societies, active in some 120 countries throughout the world, work to animate the faithful to a universal missionary spirit, and to gather support for the efforts of the Church in some 1,150 mission dioceses in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and remote regions of Latin America. The four Pontifical Mission Societies are:  The Holy Childhood Association directs its efforts to elementary school children, while the Society for the Propagation of the Faith seeks prayer and support for pastoral and evangelizing programs and needs of mission dioceses from high school and college students, and adults.  The Propagation of the Faith provides assistance to the Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the Pacific and remote regions of Latin America, including aid for the education and support of seminarians, Religious novices and lay catechists; for the work of Religious Communities in education, health care and social services, and for communication and transportation needs. The Society of St. Peter Apostle is concerned with gathering help for seminarians and Religious novices in the Missions.  The Missionary Union of Priests and Religious is a spiritual apostolate, working on formation in the missionary spirit among those called to animate all the faithful in this essential work.

For more information on the pontifical Mission Societies in the United States please visit:   http://www.propfaithboston.org/Boston/index.html.

About the Archdiocese of Boston: The Diocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of nearly 2 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 291 parishes, across 144 communities, educating approximately 46,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156,000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of 200,000 individuals through its pastoral and social service outreach and in support of a health care ministry that meets the needs of some 1 million patients each year.   Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week. For more information, please visit  www.BostonCatholic.org.