Pope Leo appoints Newark auxiliary bishop to lead New Jersey diocese
Bishop Michael Saporito will become the sixth bishop of the New Jersey diocese, which serves more than 670,000 Catholics.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Newark Auxiliary Bishop Michael Saporito as bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, the Holy See Press Office announced Sept. 15.
The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C., the same day by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S.
Father Jonathan Toborowsky has led the diocese as its administrator since November 2025, when Metuchan’s former bishop, James Checchio, was installed as coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans.
In a Sept. 15 diocesan announcement, Bishop Saporito thanked Pope Leo for entrusting him with the new assignment.
“I am deeply grateful and humbled that Pope Leo XIV has called me to serve as the Bishop of Metuchen,” he said. “While it is not easy to leave the people and places that have formed and sustained me, I welcome this new mission with trust in the Holy Spirit.”
A New Jersey native, Bishop Saporito worked in public accounting for three years before entering Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in 1987. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1992.
Looking ahead to his new ministry, Bishop Saporito said in the announcement, “I look forward to meeting the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese, walking with them as we seek to follow Jesus Christ and bear witness to the hope of the Gospel.”
Bishop Saporito served in several New Jersey parishes before Pope Francis appointed him an auxiliary bishop of Newark in 2020. His ministry has included promoting faith formation and strengthening parish life, according to the Diocese of Metuchen.
Established by Pope St. John Paul II in 1981, the Diocese of Metuchen serves 90 parishes across Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Warren counties.
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