Auxiliary Bishop Michael William Fisher will begin in Buffalo in January.

The Rev. Daniel Walsh at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Dunkirk said he is looking forward to the appointment of a new bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Washington, D.C., auxiliary Bishop Michael William Fisher was recently appointed by Pope Francis as the 15th bishop of the diocese in an announcement from the Vatican.

“I think his last name alone is a good sign — Jesus called the apostles to be fishers of men and women, so that’s a great play on words there,” he said. “We will have to wait and see how he does, but I am very excited and hopeful he will do well.”

Another plus that Walsh mentioned about the new bishop is that he did other things before going to the seminary; he spent time going to other schools and working other jobs.

Fisher was ordained in his 40s, which allowed him to experience the world outside of the church. “He got to know the world a little bit more, so he might be able to better communicate with people and have a better message for the world since he was in it so much before,” Walsh said. “He comes from a family home of lots of siblings and a healthy background. That is a great sign.”

Overall, Walsh is happy to see the position to be filled. “I’m very excited because it’s a change. He’s younger, came out of a different background, and he will have a new perspective since he came from Washington D.C. instead of New York. I give him a lot of credit for coming here,” he said. “Our country is divided and our church is divided. We all have to try to bring people together. We need to reform the world, come together, heal the bonds, and serve others, not just ourselves. We have to remind people of the common good.”