Christopher R. Cooke


Christopher Randall Cooke is an American Catholic prelate who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania since 2023.

Biography

Early life

Christopher Cooke was born on November 8, 1973, in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. Cooke received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, in 1996. That same year, he started working as a process engineer for Arco Chemical Company. He moved to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
By 2000, Cooke had decided to become a priest. He left Air Products to enter St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He earned Master of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees from St. Charles in 2006.

Priesthood

On May 20, 2006, Cooke was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by Cardinal Justin Rigali at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. The archdiocese assigned Cooke as a parochial vicar at the following parishes in Pennsylvania:
Cooke left St. Martin in 2012 to become administrator at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The next year, he was named as a faculty member and director of the Spiritual Year program at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Cooke was promoted in 2021 to dean of men for the seminary. He also serves on the theology formation team there.
A long-distance runner, Cooke completed the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2023. His fastest time was 1:50:09 hours in 2016.

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

Pope Francis appointed Cooke as an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia on December 8, 2023. On March 7, 2024, Cooke was consecrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul by Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, with Auxiliary Bishop John J. McIntyre and Bishop Michael Burbidge serving as co-consecrators.
Cooke is bilingual in Spanish and English.