When first appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii, Joseph Anthony Ferrario became a titular bishop of the ancient Egyptian city of Cusae.

A titular bishop is a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who is not the head of a functioning diocese, but instead holds title to a titular see. Assigning titular sees serves two purposes. Since part of being a bishop means being the head of a church, titular sees serve that purpose for bishops without a diocese. At the same time, the office of titular bishop memorializes ancient churches that fell into the hands of non-Christian conquerers, formerly in partibus infidelium, or that were absorbed into other dioceses. These sees are granted to auxiliary bishops, missionary bishops, bishops who are vicars apostolic, and papal legates. As an example, when Bishop Gerald Kicanas was ordained in 1995, after being appointed as an auxiliary bishop to the Archdiocese of Chicago, he took up the titular see of Bela. Lacking actual authority or duties to a titular see, the titular bishop is asked to offer prayers for the current residents of the titular see several times a year. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... Joseph Anthony Ferrario was best known for his work with the youth, poor and his controversial ministry in service to gays and lesbians. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who holds a specific position of authority in any of a number of Christian churches. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... When first appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii, Joseph Anthony Ferrario became a titular bishop of the titular see of the ancient Egyptian city of Cusae. ... Apostolic vicariate is a type of Roman Catholic diocese for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries. ... A Papal legate is a representative of the Pope to the nations. ... This article is about the sacrament. ... The seal of the Archdiocese of Chicago. ...

There are exceptions to this rule. Both coadjutor bishops and Cardinal Bishops of suburbicarian dioceses are titular bishops, but both hold titles to existing dioceses. Coadjutors, for instance, hold the title of the diocese in which they assist. When Bishop Kicanas was subsequently appointed coadjutor of Tucson, Arizona in 2001, the Pope removed him from his titular see of Bela and gave it to Bishop Santiago Retamales, an auxiliary in Valparaiso, Chile [1]  (http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsire.html). Bishop Kicanas meanwhile took the title "Coadjutor Bishop of Tuscon" without gaining a replacement titular see [2]  (http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bkicanas.html). Suburbicarian cardinals hold the title to their suburbicarian see, but while they do not govern their see they are obliged to give it their patronage. Angelo Cardinal Sodano is Titular Bishop of Albano [3]  (http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsodano.html), while Bishop Marcello Vallini is its actual diocesan bishop [4]  (http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsemeraro.html). Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa. ... Cardinal Bishops, or Cardinals of the Episcopal Order, are among the most important persons in the Roman Catholic Church. ... The six suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the suburbs that surround Rome. ... A city street near downtown Tucson, Arizona. ... Valparaíso is one of the main seaports of Chile, on the Pacific Ocean, and the capital of the Valparaíso Region. ... Cardinal Angelo Sodano with Condoleezza Rice His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Sodano (born November 23, 1927) is the Cardinal Secretary of State, first appointed by Pope John Paul II and then reappointed by Pope Benedict XVI. In April 2005 he succeeded Benedict as Dean of the College of Cardinals. ... Albano Laziale is a commune in the province of Rome, in Lazio (Latium). ...

Occasionally, the procedure of naming a bishop to a titular see has been used by the Roman Catholic Church to strip of his responsibilities a bishop whose behavior it disapproved of. For instance, in 1995, Jacques Gaillot, bishop of Évreux in France, known for his activism on various social and political topics (the homeless, illegal aliens etc...), was named Bishop of Partenia, a titular see in Algeria. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacques Gaillot (born September 11, 1935; generally known in French as Monseigneur Gaillot) is a French Catholic clergyman and social activist. ... Évreux is a commune of Normandy, France, in the Eure département, of which it is the préfecture (capital). ...