The faithful of the Philadelphia Archdiocese are getting a new leader.
And making a little history in the process.
Any minute now, the Vatican is expected to make a formal announcement confirming what started leaking out last night. The Rev. Nelson Perez, currently the bishop of Cleveland, will be the new archbishop of Philadelphia.
In the process he becomes the first Hispanic leader of the 1.2 million Catholics in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
And he's no stranger to the area.
Perez went to school and was ordained at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook and spent years as a parish priest in Philadelphia. He also spent time at St. Agnes Parish in West Chester.
Perez was born in Miami, but raised in New Jersey. He has served as the bishop of Cleveland the last two years.
He comes to Philadelphia to replace Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who announced his intention to step down after reaching age 75 last year.
The Vatican made the announcement official with a 6 a.m. statement and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will hold a press conference this morning at 10.
We'll have reaction from West Chester, where Perez spent time as a parish priest.
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