Cardinal Sarah remains head of Vatican liturgy department after 75th birthday

Vatican City, Apr 29, 2019 / 04:46 am (CNA).- Pope Francis Monday appointed Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Anchorage to be coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle.

As coadjutor, Etienne will assist Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, 66, in the administration of the Archdiocese of Seattle, and succeed Sartain upon his retirement or death.

Seattle also has two auxiliaries, Bishops Eusebio Elizondo and Daniel H Mueggenborg.

Etienne, 59, served as a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 1992 until 2009, when he was appointed bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

In 2016, Pope Francis named him to head the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska.

Etienne wrote in a blog post April 29 that he is excited and surprised by the announcement of his new appointment, and noted that his time as head of the Anchorage archdiocese the last two and a half years was “too short.”

“But I am mindful of a phrase in Sacred Scripture that refers to God’s timing, known as ‘the fullness of time,'” he wrote. “That time has now come in God’s plan for new leadership” in Anchorage.

The archbishop said he has known Archbishop Sartain for many years, and has nothing but “admiration and esteem” for him, and that he has been praying for the people of Seattle and western Washington since receiving the news of his appointment April 13.

He also expressed his gratitude for the “profound faith” of the people of Anchorage: “We now place the future once again, as always, into the hands of a faithful and loving God,” he said.

Archbishop Etienne’s Rite of Reception in Seattle is scheduled for Friday, June 7.

Etienne, an outdoorsman, grew up as one of six children. He has two brothers who are priests and a sister who is a religious sister.

He graduated from the University of St. Thomas/St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Minnestoa, with a degree in Business Administration before studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

After serving as an associate pastor and assistant vocations director in Indianapolis for a period, he returned to Rome to receive his License in Spiritual Theology.

In the U.S., he later served as the vocations director for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, vice-rector of the Bishop Simon Brute College Seminary in Indianapolis, and as a parish priest.

He was also a member of the Council of Consultors and Council of Priests for the archdiocese before being appointed bishop of Cheyenne in 2009. He has served as metropolitan archbishop of Anchorage since November 2016.

The Archdiocese of Seattle covers the western part of Washington state, from the Canadian to the Oregon border and from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

It has 173 parishes, missions, and pastoral centers and serves over 579,500 Catholics.

Reflecting on the fact the announcement of his appointment was made on the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, Etienne said he is mindful of her and her “profound love for God the Father, for her Lord, Jesus Christ, for the Holy Father and for the Church.”

“For many years, I have seen St. Catherine as a companion and a kindred spirit,” he said. “She called the Holy Father ‘Sweet Christ on earth.’ She was his emissary on various occasions, and she offered many sacrifices for the unity of the Church.”

Etienne asked for prayers through St. Catherine’s intercession, that his ministry “will be fruitful and conducive to the unity of the Church and the salvation of God’s people.”

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Vatican City, Sep 21, 2019 / 10:59 am (CNA).- No one is lost to Jesus, neither should they be considered lost to the Church and her members, Pope Francis told Catholics in Albano Laziale Saturday.

The pope reflected on the story of Zacchaeus the tax c… […]

Vatican City, Apr 25, 2019 / 04:04 am (CNA).- Pope Francis Thursday appointed Donald J. Hying the next bishop of Madison, Wis., following the death of Bishop Robert C. Morlino in November.

Hying, 55, has been the bishop of Gary, Ind. since 2014. Before that he was an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisc. for three and a half years.

He replaces Bishop Morlino, who died Nov. 24, 2018 at St. Mary Hospital in Madison after suffering a cardiac event while undergoing scheduled medical tests. He was 71.

Morlino was installed as the fourth bishop of Madison Aug. 1, 2003. Prior to his time in Madison, he was bishop of Helena.

Bishop Hying was born on Aug. 18, 1963 in West Allis, Wis. He is the youngest of six brothers. He was ordained a priest for the Milwaukee archdiocese in May 1989 at the age of 25.

He is fluent in Spanish. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history, philosophy and theology from Marquette University and a master’s of divinity degree from St. Francis de Sales Seminary.

From 2007 to 2011 he was the rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee.

As bishop of Gary, Hying called the diocese’s first synod in 2017, following which he outlined the top pastoral priorities for the diocese over the coming years.

In support of those plans, Hying was making comprehensive visits to each parish in the diocese during 2019.

The Diocese of Madison was established in 1945 and has 104 parishes and 142 diocesan and religious priests.

The diocese has around 285,000 Catholics, which is just over 27% of the area’s total population.

In the statement announcing the death of Morlino in November, the Diocese of Madison outlined his three priorities as bishop. These were to “increase the number and quality of men ordained to the diocesan priesthood,” to increase a sense of reverence throughout the diocese, and “to challenge Catholic institutions in the diocese to live out their professed faith in Jesus Christ” with their ministry in the secular realm.

In August 2018, Morlino released a pastoral letter saying the “homosexual subculture” within the Church was “wreaking great devastation.” He also called for additional Masses of reparation and fasting, and promised to respond firmly to any allegations of sexual misconduct by members of the clergy or seminarians.

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