After 25 years, Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, Pennsylvania, is stepping down from his duties as episcopal moderator of the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference (DFMC), the national association of financial leaders of dioceses in the United States and Canada, and will be succeeded by Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas. Bishop Farrell will assume the episcopal moderator’s duties at the conclusion of the DFMC’s 41^st annual conference in New Orleans, September 26-29. Bishop Trautman asked Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), to name a replacement.

“It has been an honor and privilege to see firsthand the work of faith filled professionals strengthening the Church in fiscal management,” said Bishop Trautman in a message to the members of DFMC.

Bishop Trautman has served as Episcopal Moderator of the organization since 1985. He has served as bishop of Erie since 1990. Bishop Kevin Farrell has served as bishop of Dallas since 2007 and is also the chairman of the USCCB Committee on National Collections.

The Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference is allied with the USCCB through both its episcopal moderator and the bishops of the dioceses. The DFMC’s ministry is to support the free exchange of best practices, provide on-going professional educational opportunities, and promote both the spiritual development and professional relationships of its members in matters of fiscal and administrative expertise in service to the local and national Church.