The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1984.


Bishop Burbidge holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, a master’s in education administration from Villanova University, and a doctorate in education from Immaculata College.

On June 8, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Burbidge the fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. On October 4, 2016, he was announced by Pope Francis as the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and was installed on December 6, 2016, at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More.

Bishop Burbidge has held a number of leadership positions at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and previously served as Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, the Committee for Communications, and the Committee on Pro-Life Activities