The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes was ordained and installed as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus on May 31, 2022. He was serving as pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Cincinnati, Ohio from 2019 until his ordination and installation. From 2016-2019, he was a member of the Staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. From 2008-2016, he was the Dean of the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West in Cincinnati and an associate professor of moral theology. He holds a doctorate in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. Since 2012, he has been a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Bishop Fernandes is a member of the USCCB Catechism and Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs subcommittees.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the following organizations:
- Cristo Rey Columbus High School
- Cross Catholic Outreach
- Mother Angeline McCrory Manor
- Museum of Catholic Art and History
- Pontifical College Josephinum
- Pregnancy Center East in Cincinnati
- The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Columbus
Bishop Fernandes is also on the Episcopal and Advisory Boards of the following organizations:
- Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition
- Courage International
- Desert Stream Ministries
- FOCUS Parish
- Franciscan University of Steubenville
Bishop Fernandes is a member of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. From 2012-2016, he was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Catholic Theological Schools.
He has given presentations, talks, and retreats around the country and has published articles in three collections of essays published by the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, which also published a book authored by him in 2014. Bishop Fernandes’ scholarly essays have also appeared in Seminary Journal, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, the Linacre Quarterly, Journal of the National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry. His articles in the latter two addressed issues of persons with disabilities.
