Most Rev. Edward J. Burns was appointed the eighth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas in 2016 by Pope Francis. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was ordained a priest in 1983. In 2009, Bishop Burns served as the Bishop of Juneau, Alaska. Prior to that, he served the Catholic Church on the national level as Executive Director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. from 1999 -2008. 

Bishop Burns currently serves on the Catholic Relief Services Foundation Board. Bishop Burns has also been a frequent Bishop Catechist at World Youth Day events and a presenter at convocations, conventions and retreats nationwide. In addition to his duties as Bishop of Dallas, he is the Chancellor of the University of Dallas, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Papal Foundation, and a member of the Board of Directors for the National Catholic Bioethics Committee.