Neal Buckon

Neal James Buckon is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Roman [Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA|Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA] since 2011.

Biography

Early life

Neal Buckon was born on September 3, 1953, in Columbus, Ohio, to John and Rita Buckon. He has six siblings. Buckon attended Gesu Elementary School and Cathedral Latin High School in Chardon, Ohio. After graduating from high School, Buckon entered John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, receiving a Bachelor of Science in biology. While in college, he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

Military service

After graduating from college, Buckon entered the US Army as an officer. During his seven years in the Army, he had the following assignments:

Rifle platoon leader and weapons platoon leader with the 1st Armored Division in Erlangen, Germany
Battalion S4 and company commander with the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia
Platoon leader and company operations officer with the 28th Transportation Battalion in Mannheim, Germany
Platoon Leader and transportation officer for the Allied Command Europe, Mobile Force
Preparation for priesthood

After leaving the Army, Buckon spent time traveling around the world. Returning to Ohio, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Cleveland State University. Deciding to become a priest, Buckon studied at Saint Mary's Seminary and Borromeo College, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree.

Priesthood

Buckon was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of St. [John the Evangelist (Cleveland, Ohio)|Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist] in Cleveland, Ohio, by Bishop Anthony Michael Pilla for the Diocese of Cleveland on May 25, 1995. The diocese assigned Buckon as parochial vicar at St. Margaret Mary Parish in South Euclid, Ohio.
In 1996, Buckon was accepted as a chaplain into the United States [Army Chaplain Corps]. He left St. Margaret Mary in 1998 to go on active duty as a chaplain. His assignments included:

3rd Infantry Division in Fort Stewart
Army Central Command – Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Fort Stewart
Task Force Baghdad in Baghdad, Iraq
Heidelberg, German,
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Eighth US Army in Seoul, Korea,

After his deployment to South Korea, Buckon retired from the Chaplain Corps in 2010.

Auxiliary Bishop of the Military Services, USA

Buckon was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Military Services, USA as well as titular bishop of Vissalsa on January 3, 2011, by Pope Benedict XVI. Buckon was consecrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., by Bishop Timothy Broglio on February 22, 2011, with Bishops Anthony Pilla and Richard Lennon acting as co-consecrators.