Peter John Byrne

Peter John Byrne (born July 24, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York since 2014.

Early life
Peter Byrne was born on July 24, 1951, in Manhattan, the son of John and Dorothy Byrne. He grew up in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan and attended Immaculate Conception School Elementary School in Manhattan and Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx. Bryne earned a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in New York City in history and social studies.

In 1974, Byrne entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York, to begin his formation as a priest. However, having some doubts about his career choice, he took a leave of absence from the seminary in 1977. From 1977 to 1984, Byrne taught at Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School in Valhalla, New York, and at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in Brooklyn, New York. In 1983, Byrne returned to St. Joseph's to complete the program.

Priesthood
Byrne was ordained a priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal John O'Connor on December 1, 1984.

After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Byrne as parochial vicar at St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was transferred in 1984 to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in the Bronx to serve as administrator there. In 1995, he briefly served as administrator at St. John the Baptist de La Salle Parish in Staten Island, New York.

Byrne then served as pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish on Staten Island from 1995 to 2013. After the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Byrne worked for several weeks with families that lost relatives there. Byrne served at St. Elizabeth's Parish in Washington Heights, Manhattan from 2013 to 2014.

Auxiliary Bishop of New York
Byrne was named the titular bishop of Cluain Iraird and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York by Pope Francis on June 14, 2014. He was consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on August 4, 2014. New York auxiliary bishops Gerald Walsh and Dominick Lagonegro were the co-consecrators. Byrne chose as his episcopal motto "God is Faithful".

In May 2023, Byrne participated in the maiden voyage of a new Staten Island Ferry boat, the Dorothy Day. The boat was named after the Servant of God Dorothy Day, a founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 and an advocate for the poor.