Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, metropolitan archbishop of Boston, ordained another one of his suffragan bishops, Most Rev. John J. McDermott, as the 11th bishop of Burlington at St. Joseph Cathedral, Burlington, Vermont, on July 15, 2024. Just about two months ago, he had ordained Bishop James T. Ruggieri as the 13th bishop of Portland; Burlington and Portland are New England's first twin dioceses, both separated from Boston on July 29, 1853. The other New England twins are Bridgeport and Norwich, both separated from Hartford 100 years later, on August 6, 1953.

John Joseph McDermott comes from a large family. His late parents, Robert and Jacqueline (Sullivan) McDermott, were the parents of three other boys and six girls.

Born on March 19, 1963, and raised in Red Bank, N.J., he attended the United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn., for one year, before enrolling at Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C., from which he graduated before entering St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md. He also received a licentiate degree in canon law at the Catholic University of America in 2004.

Burlington's seventh bishop, John A. Marshall, ordained him to the priesthood at the then-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 3, 1989. During the subsequent 35 years of priestly ministry, he served in parish and diocesan assignments, including campus minister at Rice Memorial High School, Burlington, and also at the University of Vermont, also in Burlington.

His experience in diocesan ministries included vice chancellor, then chancellor, and moderator of the diocesan curia. He was also a member of the diocesan tribunal staff, master of ceremonies, and priest secretary of the diocese's ninth bishop, Salvatore Matano, now of Rochester, N.Y.

He was named vicar general in 2009 and maintained his duties as chancellor and moderator of the curia and tribunal offices.

Between Bishop Matano's appointment to Rochester and the appointment of Bishop Christopher Coyne as the see's 10th bishop in 2014, he was the diocese's apostolic administrator.

Bishop Coyne demonstrated his confidence in Msgr. McDermott by naming him to all the positions he had before Bishop Coyne arrived in Burlington.

When Bishop Coyne was transferred to Hartford as its coadjutor archbishop in 2023 (he has since succeeded as archbishop), the consultors elected Msgr. McDermott as diocesan administrator in October 2023.

On May 6, 2024, Pope Francis named Msgr. McDermott as the 11th bishop of Burlington.

The episcopal ordination events in Burlington were all celebrated at the see's Cathedral of St. Joseph.

Vespers, or Evening Prayer, was celebrated on July 14, 2024.

The Mass of Episcopal Ordination followed the next day. Cardinal O'Malley was the principal ordaining bishop, and the principal co-ordaining bishops were the ninth and 10th bishops, Salvatore Matano and Christopher Coyne, together with the other 20 bishops concelebrating the Mass and the Ordination. Among the bishops were two cardinals, Gerald Lacroix, Quebec; and Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio in the United States.

The cathedral church was filled with 100 priests, 30 deacons, multiple religious, and laity from all the parishes of the Green Mountain State. The overflow crowd saw the ordination live-streamed in the cathedral chapel. The diocese made a welcome nod to the very warm summer day, with temperatures exceeding 95 degrees, by having temporary air conditioning brought in for the ordination.

Several choirs from various ethnic communities of the diocese provided music prior to the Mass.

His statewide service in Vermont was evident by the active and enthusiastic participation of the assembly. The cathedral echoed with the verbal and musical responses, not to mention the multiple interruptions of approving applause for the new bishop.

The Ordination Mass was followed by an equally well-attended reception at nearby St. Michael College in Winooski.