Archbishop Schwietz reflects on approaching retirement age
nation. He serves both as archbishop of Anchorage and as the temporary apostolic administrator over Fairbanks until it is assigned a new bishop by the pope. Combined Archbishop Schwietz oversees a geographic area that spans 550,000 square miles, or more than twice the size of Texas. Despite his added duties and frequent flights to small villages across Alaska, Archbishop Schwietz is now less than a year away from his 75th birthday. On July 3, 2015, he will reach the age at which all bishops must submit their resignation letter to the pope.