Pope Leo XIV appoints Newark auxiliary bishop as next leader of Diocese of Metuchen
The Diocese of Metuchen has been led by an administrator since November 2025, when Bishop James F. Checchio was installed as coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans.
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The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Michael A. Saporito as the next Bishop of Metuchen.
Saporito currently serves as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Newark and has spent more than three decades in ministry throughout North Jersey.
The Diocese of Metuchen has been led by an administrator since November 2025, when Bishop James F. Checchio was installed as coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans.
In a statement, Saporito said he was "deeply grateful and humbled" by the appointment and looks forward to meeting the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the diocese.
Raised in Bloomfield, Saporito graduated from Rutgers University-Newark before entering the priesthood. He was ordained in 1992 and served several parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Newark, including assignments in West Orange, Paramus, Wyckoff, Maplewood and Westfield.
Pope Francis named Saporito an auxiliary bishop of Newark in 2020. Since then, he has served as regional bishop of Bergen County and has helped lead several evangelization and pastoral planning initiatives.
The Diocese of Metuchen serves Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren counties and includes more than 670,000 Catholics across 90 parishes.
