John Charles Wester

Last updated

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

John Charles Wester
Archbishop of Santa Fe
Archdiocese Santa Fe
AppointedApril 27, 2015
InstalledJune 4, 2015
Predecessor Michael Jarboe Sheehan
Other post(s)Chairman of USCCB Communications Committee
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationMay 15, 1976
by  Joseph Thomas McGucken
ConsecrationSeptember 18, 1998
by  William Joseph Levada, John R. Quinn, and Patrick Joseph McGrath
Personal details
Born
John Charles Wester

(1950-11-05) November 5, 1950 (age 74)
San Francisco, California
Alma mater Saint Patrick Seminary
MottoAbide in Christ
Signature John Charles Wester signature.svg
Styles of
John Charles Wester
Coat of arms of John Charles Wester.svg
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop

John Charles Wester (born November 5, 1950) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Santa Fe since 2015. He previously served as Bishop of Salt Lake City from 2007 to 2015 and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco from 1998 to 2007.

Contents

Early life and education

John Wester was born in San Francisco, California, on November 5, 1950, the fourth generation of his family born there. Wester attended Our Lady of Mercy Parish School in Daly City, California. Wester graduated from St. Joseph's College Seminary in Mountain View, California, in 1972 before attending St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1976. Wester received a Master of Applied Science degree from the University of San Francisco in 1984, and then a Master of Spiritual Theology degree from Holy Names College in Oakland, California in 1993.

Early career

Wester was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joseph McGucken for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco on May 15, 1976. [1] [2]

After his 1976 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Wester as associate pastor at Saint Raphael Parish in San Rafael, California. In 1979, he was appointed as a teacher and director of campus ministry at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California. Wester later became president of the high school and eventually assistant superintendent for high schools for the archdiocese.

In 1988, Archbishop John R. Quinn named Wester as his assistant. Wester's first appointment as pastor was at Saint Stephen Parish in San Francisco in 1993. Wester returned to the Pastoral Center in 1997 to become the vicar for clergy, where he was named a monsignor by the Vatican.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco

On June 30, 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed Wester as titular bishop of Lamiggiga and as an auxiliary bishop of San Francisco. [3] He received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption from Cardinal William Levada on September 18, 1998. [4] Wester then served as moderator of the curia until 2003. While he was episcopal vicar for clergy, Wester also served as vicar general of the archdiocese. He also served as apostolic administrator from August 2005 to February 2006. [4] Wester was heavily involved in sexual abuse cases in the archdiocese, meeting with victims and accused clergy. [5]

Bishop of Salt Lake City

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Wester as bishop of Salt Lake City on January 8, 2007. [1] He was installed there on March 14, 2007. [6]

Archbishop of Santa Fe

On April 27, 2015, Pope Francis appointed Wester as archbishop for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. [4] He was installed there on June 4, 2015. [7]

Since his consecration, Wester has been involved with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as a member of the Bishops Committee on Vocations, chairman of Northern California Ch'an/Zen-Catholic Dialogue, consultant for the Subcommittee on Interreligious Dialogue, member of the Migration Committee, the Pastoral Practices Committee, World Mission Committee, the Subcommittee on Lay Ministry, and as the USCCB bishop-liaison to Asia.

Wester has also been a strong advocate against the death penalty and for nuclear disarmament, among other social issues.

Viewpoints

Santa Muerte

In 2019, Wester condemned Santa Muerte (Saint Death), a recent religious movement in Mexico and South America inspired by drug traffickers. He said that devotion to Santa Muerte was inconsistent with Catholic teachings. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco</span> Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in northern California

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. The Archdiocese of San Francisco was erected on July 29, 1853, by Pope Pius IX and its cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles</span> Archdiocese in California

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, and the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, and its present archbishop is José Horacio Gómez Velasco. With over five million professing members and weekly liturgies celebrated in 32 languages, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is numerically the single largest and most ethnically diverse archdiocese in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Las Vegas</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Nevada, USA

The Archdiocese of Las Vegas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southern Nevada, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City</span> Latin diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States

The Diocese of Salt Lake City is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church for the State of Utah in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese, formerly of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco and, since May 30, 2023, of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Horacio Gómez</span> Archbishop of Los Angeles (born 1951)

José Horacio Gómez Velasco is a Mexican-American prelate of the Catholic Church. He became the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California in 2011. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver in Colorado from 2001 to 2004 and as Archbishop of San Antonio in Texas from 2004 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard John Garcia</span> American Roman Catholic bishop (1947–2018)

Richard John Garcia was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Monterey in California from 2007 until his death in 2018. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento in California from 1998 to 2007

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas John Curry</span>

Thomas John Curry is an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Curry served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California from 1994 to 2018. From 1994 to 2013, he was episcopal vicar of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region of the archdiocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Fred Naumann</span> American Christian cleric

Joseph Fred Naumann is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas since 2004. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 1997 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Blaire</span> American Catholic bishop (1941–2019)

Stephen Edward Blaire was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Stockton from 1999 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel F. Walsh</span> American prelate

Daniel Francis Walsh is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Arthur Sevilla</span> American prelate

Carlos Arthur Sevilla is an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Yakima from 1996 to 2011 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco from 1988 to 1996. He is a member of the Jesuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William J. Justice</span>

William Joseph Justice, is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Justice served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in California from 2008 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Cantú</span> Mexican-American Catholic prelate

Oscar Cantú is a Mexican-American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of San Jose since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Baptist Pitaval</span> American prelate

John Baptist Pitaval was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santa Fe from 1909 to 1918.

Norman Francis McFarland was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Orange in California from 1987 until 1998. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in California from 1970 to 1976 and as bishop of the new Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in Nevada from 1976 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert W. McElroy</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1954)

Robert Walter McElroy is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of San Diego in California since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Rojas</span> Mexican prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1965)

Alberto Rojas is a Mexican-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino in Southern California since 2020. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 2011 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark E. Brennan</span> American Roman Catholic prelate

Mark Edward Brennan is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who is bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. He was installed on August 22, 2019. Brennan previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland from 2017 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John P. Dolan</span> American Catholic bishop (born 1962)

John Patrick Dolan is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop in the Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona since August 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rinunce e nomine, 08.01.2007" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. January 8, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Archbishop John Charles Wester [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  3. ↑ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. XC. 1998. p. 634. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Rinunce e nomine, 27.04.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. April 27, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  5. ↑ Mexican, Patrick MaloneThe New (May 2, 2015). "Incoming archbishop faces criticism over abuse cases". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  6. ↑ Stinson Lee, Barbara (March 16, 2007). "Bishop John C. Wester installed with joy, gratitude". Intermountain Catholic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Mischel, Marie (June 12, 2015). "Archbishop Wester installed in Santa Fe". Intermountain Catholic. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ "New Mexico archbishop warns against prayer to 'Santa Muerte,' or 'Saint Death'". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Archbishop of Santa Fe
June 2, 2015 – present		Incumbent
Preceded by Bishop of Salt Lake City
January 8, 2007 – April 27, 2015		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Gonzalo Duarte García de Cortázar
 Titular Bishop of Lamiggiga
June 30, 1998 – January 8, 2007		Succeeded by
José Luis Mendoza Corzo
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.