Archdiocese of Chicago appoints new chancellor

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced Thursday the appointment of Deacon David Keene, Ph.D. as chancellor.

Keene is currently the auditor-actuarius in the Office of Canonical Affairs. He will assume his new duties on July 1, succeeding Deacon Daniel Welter, who is retiring after five years in the role.

"(Keane) brings a strong faith and deep understanding of our diocesan ministries, offices and parishes to the role and I look forward to working with him," Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said in the announcement. "I also want to recognize and thank Deacon Dan Welter for his service as chancellor."

As chancellor, Keene will advise Cupich and diocesan officials on various issues. He also will record the ecclesiastical acts, decrees, and dispensations issued by Cupich, as well as oversee the diocesan records and archives.

In his current role as auditor-actuarius, Keene works within the Office of Canonical Affairs to prepare documents and petitions on behalf of the archbishop for priests and deacons returning to the lay state. In addition, he assists the vicar for Canonical Affairs and the chancellor in assembling documents and researching applicable canon law for special cases.

Prior to joining the archdiocese's Office of Canonical Affairs in 2019, Keene worked as an archaeological consultant since 1980 and founded Archaeological Research Incorporated (ARI) in 1991. At ARI, he served as president, chief executive officer and senior staff archaeologist. He managed a staff of archaeologists conducting historic preservation planning and archaeological and historic investigations required by federal and state laws, and assisted government agencies in the recovery, identification, preservation, and curation of archaeological and documentary materials.

Early in his career, Keene was an instructor in the departments of anthropology and sociology at Loyola University of Chicago and taught at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Keene has a bachelor's degree in anthropology and classical languages from Loyola University of Chicago, a master's in philosophy from the University of Detroit, and a master's and doctorate in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He received a diploma in Ecclesiastical Administration from Saint Paul University in Ottawa, where he is in the final stages of completing his Licentiate in Canon Law.