WILMINGTON, Del. — Holy Name Province recently recognized Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington. An intimate affiliation service took place May 22 at the Friars Chapel in Wilmington.
Bishop Salteralli, a long-time friend of the Province, from his early days serving churches in New Jersey, will retire soon, said Thomas Gallagher, OFM, a friend of the bishop.
“He has been kind to the friars here in Wilmington, and particularly welcoming of the formation program,” said Thomas. “I have known the Bishop since he was a pastor in Cedar Grove, N.J. This is the neighboring parish to Little Falls where I served as associate and later pastor.”
Bishop Saltarelli has roots in New Jersey. He attended school in New Jersey, studying theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington, N.J. Archbishop Thomas A. Boland ordained him to the priesthood in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark, N.J., in 1960. He served at Holy Family Church in Nutley, N.J., and at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Bayonne, N.J.
Archbishop Peter Gerety appointed him executive director for pastoral services in the Archdiocese of Newark in 1982. In 1984, Pope John Paul II named Bishop Saltarelli a Prelate of Honor with the title of Monsignor. He was later appointed pastor of Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Cedar Grove, N.J. and was ordained an auxiliary bishop of Newark in 1990.
In November 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Saltarelli as the eighth bishop of the diocese of Wilmington, which includes the state of Delaware and the eastern shore of the state of Maryland.