A New Chapter for the Archdiocese of Washington
The consecration of The Most Reverend Robert P. Boxie III on July 7, 2026, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception marked a significant moment for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the broader American Church. At 45 years old, Boxie became the youngest active Catholic bishop in the United States, according to the source material. His elevation also represents a historic first: he is the first member of the Divine Nine—a group of historically Black fraternities and sororities—to hold the office of bishop in the Catholic Church.
He’s a Louisiana Native
From Louisiana Roots to the Episcopate
Born on September 12, 1980, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Boxie grew up in the community of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, a historically Black Catholic parish. He graduated from St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles in 1998.
He Has Multi-Disciplinary Academic Background
His academic path was unusually broad. Boxie graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2002 with a degree in chemical engineering and a second major in music. After a year teaching English in France, he earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2007. Feeling called to the priesthood, he later studied at the Pontifical North American College and the Gregorian University in Rome, receiving his Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 2017.
He Worked as a Federal Clerk and Corporate Lawyer
A Legal Career Before the Priesthood
Before entering the seminary in 2010, Boxie built a legal career in Washington, D.C. His background includes serving as a federal law clerk for the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, and later as an associate at the corporate law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP.
He was a Beloved Chaplain at Howard University
Service at Howard University
Boxie spent six years as the Catholic chaplain at Howard University, where he became a central figure on campus. During his tenure, he guided the ministry through the challenges of the pandemic, organized student civil rights pilgrimages, and championed the 2023 launch of the Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center—the first dedicated space for Catholic students on the HBCU campus.
He is America’s Youngest Catholic Bishop
Appointment and Consecration
Pope Leo XIV appointed Boxie as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington on May 1, 2026. He was consecrated on July 7, 2026, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The source notes that Boxie is the first Black bishop ordained in nearly a decade, since Bishop Roy Edward Campbell Jr. was consecrated as an auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese on April 21, 2015.
Groundbreaking Greek Life Milestone
A First for the Divine Nine
Boxie is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., having been initiated into the Kappa Theta Chapter at Vanderbilt in 2000. His membership in the Divine Nine—a collective of nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations—makes him the first person from that group to become a Catholic bishop.
