The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1984. Bishop Burbidge holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, a master's in education administration from Villanova University, and a doctorate in education from Immaculata College. On June 8, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Burbidge the fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. On October 4, 2016, he was announced by Pope Francis as the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and was installed on December 6, 2016, at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More. In recent years, Bishop Burbidge has published pastoral letters titled, "In Tongues All Can Hear: Communicating the Hope of Christ in Times of Trial," "A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology," and "The Christian Family, In Vitro Fertilization, and Heroic Witness to True Love."
In the past decade our culture has seen growing acceptance of transgender ideology - that is, the claim that a person's biological sex and personal identity have no necessary connection and could in fact contradict each other. According to this view, "human identity" is self-defined and "becomes the choice of the individual." Consequently, our culture is experiencing a rapid rise in the number of persons claiming an identity contrary to their biological sex. Attempts to accommodate such claims already have resulted in tremendous upheavals in our social, legal, and medical systems. This situation presents a serious challenge for all members of the Church because it presents a view of the human person contrary to the truth.
Date posted: 2025-04-19
God is with us. This is the message of hope that we want to shout from the rooftops, that we want to beam over the airwaves, that we want to put on the front page of our publications and post on our social media accounts. Emmanuel: God is with us. We face many challenges today. Disease. Abortion. War. Poverty. Injustice. Climate change. Isolation. The terrible polarization that is afflicting our country makes all these challenges worse. It is easy to feel abandoned. Rates of depression and anxiety are up for all age groups, but especially for the young. Yet the Church steadfastly proclaims: God is with us. For two millennia, the Church has followed the example of the Apostles as gifted by the Spirit: proclaiming to each generation the Good News in word and deed. The means of communication may change over the centuries, but the message remains the same.
Date posted: 2025-03-08
Catholics are called to walk compassionately with couples experiencing the heartache of infertility, and to help them access "life-giving and restorative options" to conceive a child, while resisting the appeal of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, which "remains replete with moral difficulties," Bishop Michael F. Burbidge wrote in a new pastoral letter.
Date posted: 2025-02-23