COVINGTON — Northern Kentucky Catholics say they hope Bishop Robert Muench's successor will share his dedication to Catholic education, the promotion of religious vocations and, above all, his devotion to the Catholic faith.

        But if Pope John Paul II's appointment follows past practice, it likely will be months before the 89,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Covington learn who their new bishop is.

        Bishop Muench, 58, was appointed bishop of the 218,000-member Diocese of Baton Rouge on Saturday.

        At a press conference Monday, Bishop Muench said he doesn't know his actual departure date, but he predicted his installation will take place in late February or early March.

        “I still have some months to work together here with everyone, and I look forward to those months,” Bishop Muench said. “I will savor those months, as I will savor the six years that I have had here in the diocese. And I have every confidence that the Holy Father will send you a very excellent new bishop.”

        For Bishop Muench, whose family moved from Louisville to New Orleans when he was 2, his new assignment in Baton Rouge will be a homecoming of sorts. He served several New Orleans parishes after he was ordained as a priest, and his 92-year-old father and 88-year-old mother live in New Orleans, as do two of his three sisters.

        “I will be able to, at least once a month, gather with my family to have Sunday dinner, as I used to do on a more regular basis,” Bishop Muench said.

        Once Bishop Muench begins his new assignment, he said, it could take nine months to a year before his permanent successor is named.

        When Bishop William Hughes retired in July 1995, it took six months before his successor was named, and it was March 1996 before Robert Muench was installed as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Covington.

        Bishop Muench said he would submit names of potential successors if asked, but he didn't think he would be. “The church has a good concept of our area,” Bishop Muench said. “Anything they would ask of me I would try to do, but the church is in very competent hands, so I have no reason to believe they would need me.” Diocesan priests will name an administrator to run the diocese until a new bishop is named.

        The bishop's appointment comes just a week after the historic Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption reopened after a seven-month renovation.

        Several prominent Northern Kentucky Catholics said the $5.2 million renovation of the cathedral will be a key part of the outgoing bishop's legacy.

        “It took a lot of fortitude for him to make that drive” for the cathedral renovation, said lawyer David Schneider, 63, an eight-year member of the Diocesan Finance Council. “Fifty years from now, people will look back on that project. It'll be something the Diocese of Covington and the people of the region will be very proud of for a number of years to come.”

        William Burleigh, 66, of Rabbit Hash, agreed.

        “I thought that the blessing of the altar at the new Basilica was quite a farewell party,” Mr. Burleigh said.

        As in any appointment of a new bishop, Mr. Burleigh said that he would like to see “a deeply spiritual leader” named.

        “The (diocesan) infrastructure is in good shape, thanks to Bishop Muench,” Mr. Burleigh said. “The finances are in good shape, thanks to Bishop Muench. And there's been a lot done in education.”

        Under Bishop Muench's directive, salaries for teachers in Catholic schools are being raised to 85 percent of the average public school teacher's salary, said Lawrence Bowman, director for Catholic education and the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Covington.

        The bishop also led a campaign that raised $3.5 million for Catholic education in the diocese — an endowment that covers everything from tuition assistance to roof repairs, Mr. Bowman said.

        Bishop Muench also has visited each of the diocese's nine high schools at least one day a year just to chat with students and answer questions about religious vocations.

        “When I was growing up, we would see the bishop at confirmation and at graduation, and that was it,” said Frank Sommerkamp, 72, of Crestview Hills. “Bishop Muench is not just walking in (the schools) for a graduation or for some religious function. He's a holy man, but he's very personable, and he relates very, very well to the kids.”

        Because of the bishop's interest in youth, Mr. Sommerkamp predicted a number of young men and women will consider religious vocations in the future.

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