Cardinal George announced on April 11 the appointment of Bishop Francis Kane, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, as vicar general, effective July 1. Msgr. John Canary, who has served as vicar general since February 2006, will retire from that office on June 30. Over the next two months, Msgr. Canary will work with Bishop Kane to insure a smooth transition of responsibilities. Msgr. Canary turned 70 years of age this past January and plans to continue to be active as a retired priest of the archdiocese by assisting Msgr. Dennis Lyle at the Cardinal Stritch Retreat House, offering retreats and providing spiritual direction. He also will be assisting at parishes on weekends wherever he is needed. “The transition for Bishop Frank Kane to vicar general should be absolutely seamless,” said Cardinal George. “He is an excellent administrator who knows the priests, the archdiocese and the staff who work at Archbishop Quigley and Cardinal Meyer Centers. I also want to thank Msgr. Canary, whose good advice and sound pastoral sense have been invaluable to me.” Bishop Kane, who was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 14, 1969, at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, has been the episcopal vicar for Vicariate II, which encompasses several parishes in northern Cook County and much of Chicago’s North Side, since March 2003. Bishop Kane attended Our Lady of Peace Elementary School on Chicago’s southeast side and graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. Bishop Kane served as associate pastor of St. John Fisher Parish from 1969 to 1975 and of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, from 1975 to 1979. He served between 1973 and 1983 as the associate director for the Center for Pastoral Ministry and also served in administrative positions in the archdiocese as director of the Office for the Ministry of Peace and Justice from 1979 to 1985 and director of the Office of Evangelization and Christian Life from 1983 until 1993, when he was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Wilmette, where he served until 2003. Bishop Kane also served as dean of Deanery A in Vicariate II between 1999 and 2003. Bishop Kane currently serves on the St. Joseph College Seminary Board of Directors. He is the episcopal liaison for both the Archdiocesan Annual Catholic Appeal and Office for Lay Ecclesial Ministry and is a member of Aid for Women and the Parish Evaluation Project. Bishop Kane is also an Equestrian Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and a member of the Knights of Columbus.