Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone was ordained and installed as the 13th Bishop of Charleston on March 25, 2009 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
Bishop Guglielmone was born December 30, 1945 to Frank and Caroline Guglielmone. He has two brothers, Nicholas Dana and Tito.
Growing up on Long Island, he attended both Catholic grade school and high school, graduating in 1964. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in education from St John’s University in Jamaica, NY. For five years he taught Business at Patchogue-Medford High School, during which time he did graduate work in education at New York University.
Feeling the call to the priesthood, Bishop Guglielmone entered the seminary for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He earned a Master of Divinity at Immaculate Conception Seminary in 1977 and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on April 8, 1978 and was assigned to St. Martin of Tours in Amityville for his first priestly ministry after ordination. He later served as a priest in parishes across Long Island, most recently as Rector of St Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre.
In addition to his parochial assignments, Bishop Guglielmone helped form the future priests of the Diocese of Rockville Center by serving as Director of Pastoral Formation and Dean of Seminarians at Immaculate Conception Seminary for seven years. He later assisted in the administration of the diocese as Director of Clergy Personnel.
Bishop Guglielmone is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. He was named a Knight of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George in 1993. He was named a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope John Paul II in 1996.
Since his days in the seminary Bishop Guglielmone has been actively involved in Catholic Scouting, earning numerous awards, including the St. George Emblem and Brother Barnabas Founder’s Award. He has served in various chaplain capacities locally, nationally and internationally and directed the chaplain’s training for the prestigious Philmont Scout Ranch for nearly a decade. He has also served in several capacities on the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and is currently an Executive Board Member. In November 2000 Bishop Guglielmone was appointed World Chaplain to Catholic Scouting by the Holy See for a four year term and was re-appointed in 2004 and served in that capacity until January 2009 when the Holy Father appointed him the 13th Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina. He is the current U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Episcopal Liaison for the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS).
His successor, Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, was named 14th Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston on Feb. 22, 2022, and ordained and installed May 13, 2022.