Pope Francis appoints Wester as 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe

Pope Francis has appointed Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, as the 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe. He succeeds Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, upon reaching the age limit, has been accepted by the Holy Father.

The Installation Mass for Archbishop- Elect Wester will be 2 p.m. Thursday, June 4, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe. Until the installation, Archbishop Sheehan continues to serve.

Wester was ordained a priest May 15, 1976 for his native Archdiocese of San Francisco. He has earned degrees from Saint Joseph College, Saint Patrick College, Saint Patrick Seminary, the University of San Francisco and Holy Names College.

He was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco and appointed to serve as Vicar General in 1998. From 20052006 he was Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. He was appointed as Bishop of Salt Lake City on January 8, 2007.

Wester chairs the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Committee on Communications. He is a member of the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education and the USCCB Catholic Education Foundation Advisory Board.

He also serves as consultant for three USCCB Committees: Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Laity, Marriage, Family Life & Youth; and Migration.

He has worked toward immigration reform on a local, national and international level. His national memberships include: being a board member of Catholic Relief Services; on the Board of Trustees of the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio; Episcopal Advisor for the National Association of Catholic Chaplains; Episcopal Moderator of the National Association for Lay Ministers; member of the Board of Trustees for Saint Patrick Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California.