We should offer welcome to new Archbishop Wester

It’s a time of major transition for the region’s Roman Catholics.

In ceremonies Thursday at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, Bishop John C. Wester of the Diocese of Salt Lake City was named the 12th archbishop of Santa Fe.

He serves as the religious leader of more than 300,000 Roman Catholics in 19 central and northeastern New Mexico counties, including Curry, De Baca, Quay and Roosevelt.

The archbishop of Santa Fe also has a leadership role in the Ecclesiastical Province of Santa Fe, which covers all of New Mexico and Arizona, or the dioceses of Gallup, Las Cruces, Phoenix and Tucson.

A San Francisco native, Wester, 64, has served as bishop of Salt Lake City, which covers all of Utah, since 2007.

He has an interest in immigrant populations and served on the Roman Catholic Church’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

He succeeds Archbishop Michael Sheehan, 75, who has served with distinction for 22 years.

Some of Sheehan’s major accomplishments include restoring a shaken archdiocese in the wake of a priest sex abuse scandal and focusing on attracting people into religious vocations, especially the priesthood.

Sheehan has regularly commented on issues facing all New Mexicans in various ways, including through his op-ed columns submitted to the Albuquerque Journal.

New Mexicans should join the state’s Roman Catholics in offering best wishes to Sheehan and a welcome to new Archbishop Wester.

— Albuquerque Journal