Bishop Wester sees power of God at work in others

Intermountain Catholic

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The tomb of the Diocese of Salt Lake City's first bishop, Lawrence Scanlan, was one of the places visited by Bishop Wester Jan. 8th, after the press conference announcing his appointment. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — After 31 years of priesthood, nine of them spent as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Bishop John C. Wester said he has learned a great deal about the human condition.

"I have a better grasp of suffering, especially the suffering brought about by the clergy sex abuse scandal," Bishop Wester said in an interview with the Intermountain Catholic Feb. 21.

Just weeks away from being installed as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Bishop Wester was tying up loose ends in the Archdiocesan Office of Auxiliary Bishops and meeting with Father William Justice, who will take over his responsibilities as vicar for clergy. When his day at the office ended, he returned home to his residence at St. Cecilia’s Parish to pack boxes for the move.

"As a bishop, I’ve learned a lot as I’ve dealt with people struggling in ministry and struggling in their faith, and that’s been a real change for me. What has been most meaningful for me has been the trust we have shared. I’ve been able to walk with people on their personal Way of the Cross and I value their trust very highly."

We all have our own images of God, Bishop Wester said, "and I have been seeing God at work in the lives and hearts of different people. Seeing the awesome power of God at work in others has allowed me to learn more about my own image of God – it has been complimented and enhanced. I would say the same about my image of Our Blessed Mother."

Speaking personally, he said his experiences in ministry have made him more patient and a better listener. "Each person’s story is unique, and I won’t hear those stories unless I listen."

The oldest of four children in a very close Catholic family, Bishop Wester said leaving the Bay area where he’s lived all his life and where his mother, his brother, two sisters, and their families remain, has him dealing with "a mixture of feelings – the reality of the human condition."

"I enjoy going by Mom’s house now and then, checking to make sure everything is all right, and visiting with my brother, two sisters, and my nieces and nephews."

At the same time, he said, it’s exciting to be moving on to a new chapter of service in the vineyard of the Lord. "From what I have experienced and from what I’ve learned, the people of the Diocese of Salt Lake City are extremely hospitable and gracious. The Diocese of Salt Lake City is a missionary church. I see that it is extremely organized, and solid plans have been made for the ongoing growth of the church in Utah. I look forward to being a shepherd in this wonderful community.

"My visits home to San Francisco will be more valuable, and I know I will use the time here well. In spite of the big responsibility I’m taking on, I’ll only be two states away, and in this day of advanced technologies – telephones and computers – I even foresee being able to set up videoconferences with my family."

Whether it will be as he gets to know the clergy of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Catholic students outside our Catholic schools or those able to attend Catholic schools, or getting to know the leadership and the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bishop Wester’s approach will be the same.

"It all begins with one conversation," he said. "It’s opening a dialogue and being open to understanding someone else’s experiences and beliefs. That’s how we build friendships and trust, then we’ll take it from there, and we can explore all kinds of things.

"In my interfaith and ecumenical work here, I’ve been able to spend some time studying the Mormon Church’s teachings, and I see that their faith and ours have many things in common – the importance of marriage and children, the sacredness of our ancestors, our outreach to those in need, and our sense of missionary spirit and openness to new members. We have many obvious differences in belief, but we share many values. We can respect one another’s differences, and that is where dialogue can begin – good dialogue."

Bishop Wester has both taught in a Catholic school – Marin Catholic High School – and served as assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese. He is moving into a diocese in which about 90 percent of Catholic student don’t attend Catholic schools.

"It is important for me to understand and be sensitive to the issues our children face. I care very much about the dynamics of it. If there are issues of isolation and feeling left out in school, there may be ways we can address them in our parishes. We can come together as church to discuss what it’s like when our children are not included in social activities.

"In our parishes, we can reinforce the goodness of our Catholic students," Bishop Wester said. "There are ways we can address the issues they face and be pro-active. We can also get together with other groups and dialogue about these issues. Parent leadership is important. Together we can help others help us."

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is 150 years old, and over the past few years has seen parish closures. Bishop Wester is moving to a diocese 50 years younger than the archdiocese, one that is growing, with new churches being built and new Catholic communities cropping up, like St. Andrew Parish in Riverton.

"It’s very interesting and exciting," he said. "I’ve learned from Archbishop Niederauer that the Diocese of Salt Lake City had grown more in the past 20 years than it did in the previous 100 years. I plan to bring my toolbox – a metaphor for being a builder of communities. I love working on small projects, building relationships, and planning for the future."

When Bishop Wester talks about his toolbox he’s talking about a real box of hammers, screwdrivers, and plumbing tools. He finds tinkering and fixing things relaxing. The toolbox may be a metaphor, but it’s a working metaphor.

"My projects will just get larger," he said. "We need to look first at the immediate needs of people, and look ahead with foresight."

Bishop Wester said he intends to work with the forward-thinking style of Diocesan Administrator Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald.

"He has made solid plans for the future of the Diocese of Salt Lake City," Bishop Wester said. "He’s made land purchases for future churches, schools, and rectories according to demographics. Msgr. Fitzgerald is a good steward. He has been looking after the growing family of God in Utah. We need many gifted people who are prudent in planning ahead."

With eight men in the seminary studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Bishop Wester looks forward to two ordinations within the next year. He rejoices that last year there were 12 men studying for the priesthood, "but we lost a fourth of them to ordination, and that’s a good thing," he said.

Saying he believes the church is not struggling so much with a vocations crisis as it is a listening crisis, Bishop Wester is optimistic about future vocations.

"The vocations are there, but I don’t believe people are hearing the call of God, and if they do, they are not responding."

He said there are all kinds of reasons why people aren’t listening and responding to the call of God "We need to find out why those calls are going unanswered. We need to encourage people – men and women – to hear and respond to God’s call with trust and courage.

"Perhaps we need vocations committees in every parish," he said. "We all are busy, but religious vocations must be a real priority. Many parents say they want to see more priests and sisters, but they also say, ‘not my son or daughter.’

"We need to show people that the priesthood and the religious life are beautiful, happy, fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, that message gets lost in a media that too often only emphasizes the negative things.

"The priesthood and the religious life are the good life," Bishop Wester said. "People forget how good the life is. It’s a wonderful life. We need to get our message across to parents and to young people."

Unfortunately, he said, during the height of the clergy sex abuse scandal, "all priests were painted with the same brush. People did it without thinking, and we still have obstacles to overcome."

Bishop Wester plans to overcome those obstacles, and others, in not just one language, but two.

"I can celebrate Mass in Spanish, and I can deliver a homily in Spanish as long as it’s written out. But I plan to work on my Spanish extensively. In one year I plan to be speaking Spanish better. In two years I plan to be fluent."

That’s quite an ambitious goal. I’m sure this man, our ninth bishop, will achieve it with ease.