Kevin J. Sweeney


Kevin J. Sweeney is an American bishop of the Catholic Church who serves as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey.

Life and career

Early life and education

A native of the New York borough of Queens, Sweeney was born on January 10, 1970, to James and Agnes Sweeney. He has a sister, Marie Shanahan, and a brother, Brendan. His parents are immigrants from Ireland.
He grew up in St. Luke's Parish in Whitestone, New York, and attended Cathedral Prep from 1984 to 1988 and was a star on the high school seminary's baseball team, excelling as an infielder, outfielder and pitcher. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2013.
After high school, he entered the Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Douglaston, New York, and studied at St. John's University in New York, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1992. He then entered the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in theology. During his time at the seminary, he spent a pastoral year at St. Agatha's Parish in Brooklyn.

Ordination and ministry

On June 28, 1997, he was ordained a priest for the Brooklyn diocese by Bishop Thomas V. Daily. His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in Jamaica, New York, from 1997 to 2003. He was then assigned to Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Corona, New York, serving there from 2003 to 2004.
In 2004, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio named Sweeney as diocesan 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 January 2010, Sweeney was appointed pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Brooklyn's Sunset Park section.

Bishop of Paterson

appointed Sweeney as Bishop of Paterson on April 15, 2020. He was consecrated and installed on July 1, 2020. Attendance was limited to about 100 people who wore masks and practiced social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.