This morning the Holy Father named Father J. Augustine DiNoia, O.P. as the new Secretary at the Congregation for Divine Worship. Father DiNoia will be elevated to the dignity of an archbishop and has been assigned the titular see of Oregon City.
Most bishops and archbishops reside in their own dioceses, but when a bishop works at the Vatican, he is assigned a titular see, a diocese that is no longer extant for some reason or other. The most famous of these "titular" sees is Hippo, as in St. Augustine of Hippo. The city in North Africa was part of the Muslim conquests.
In archbishop-elect DiNoia’s case, the archdiocese of Oregon City was erected in 1846 by Pope Pius IX. The city was located at the end of the Oregon Trail and in 1845 it had been designated provisional capital of the Oregon Territory. It had a population of 500 citizens. The capital was moved to Salem in 1852 and the seat of the archdiocese was transferred to nearby Portland in 1928. A brief history of the city can be found here.
Many Washingtonians will be thrilled at the news and also that the archbishop-elect will be returning to Washington for his episcopal ordination. This will be held July 11 at the National Shrine with Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith where DiNoia has worked the past seven years, serving as principal consecrator.
