Bishop of Kalamazoo (2023-present)

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Paul J. Bradley, 77, and appointed Monsignor Edward M. Lohse, 61, as the fifth Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo.

Bishop Lohse was previously the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Erie. Ordination of the new bishop was held on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at Saint Augustine Cathedral, Kalamazoo.

As required by Church law, Bishop Bradley submitted his resignation to the Holy Father when he turned 75, on October 18, 2020. Bishop Bradley, who has served the diocese since his installation on June 5, 2009, will continue as apostolic administrator until Bishop-elect Lohse’s ordination.

Bishop Lohse is the sixth of seven children born to his parents, the late Edward and Ida Lohse, who raised their family in their hometown of McKean. He graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School and continued his education at Gannon University, Erie, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He continued his seminary studies at Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, graduating with a Master of Divinity, with highest honors, in 1987 and completing his requirements for ordination in 1988. More recently, Bishop-elect Lohse furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University earning both a License (2002) and Doctorate in Canon Law (2016).

He was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Michael J. Murphy on April 21, 1989, at Saint Peter Cathedral, Erie. His first pastoral appointment was as a parochial vicar for Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Corry. He was recognized by Pope Francis in 2015 as a Chaplain to his Holiness with the title Monsignor.

Throughout his thirty-four years as a priest, Bishop Lohse has served in a number of pastoral, educational and diocesan assignments both for the Diocese of Erie as well as the Vatican. He has held administrative roles including director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth, chancellor and vocation director for the Diocese. Additionally, he served as an official of the Congregation for the Clergy (a dicastery within the Vatican curia) from 2010-2015 and was an adjunct member of the faculty (from 2011-2015) for the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City.

Bishop Lohse received the Alumnus of Distinction Award from Saint Vincent Seminary in 2016. He served as a member of the Saint Vincent Seminary Board of Regents from 2003 to 2010 and received an honorary degree from Saint Vincent Seminary in 2010.