Incoming Anchorage archbishop is man of prayer with heart for evangelization

CatholicAnchor.org
For the first time in 15 years the Anchorage Archdiocese is welcoming a new archbishop.

News broke publicly just after 2 a.m. Alaska time on Oct. 4, when the Vatican announced that Pope Francis named the 57-year-old Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Paul Dennis Etienne to be the next archbishop of Anchorage.

Archbishop Etienne, a lean outdoorsman with short-cropped hair and a broad smile was first chosen by Pope Benedict XVI seven years ago to be bishop for all of Wyoming. He flew to Anchorage on the evening of Oct. 3 in anticipation of the Vatican’s announcement the next morning.

The day of the announcement, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, 76, who has served as archbishop of Anchorage since 2001. He will continue as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until formally handing over the reins on Nov. 9, the day Archbishop Etienne is installed at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral.

Archbishop Schwietz submitted his resignation on July 3, 2015, upon turning 75, the age at which all Roman Catholic bishops must submit to retirement in accordance with church law.

Nine hours after the Vatican’s announcement, Archbishop Schwietz called a press conference with reporters at the archdiocese’s downtown Pastoral Center.

“This is a very, very special day for me personally since it’s been 15 months since I sent in my resignation to our Holy Father and he finally responded — I thought maybe he lost the letter,” Archbishop Schwietz joked. “But he finally responded in sending us a wonderful, wonderful pastoral archbishop who has a shepherd’s heart and that’s what we, all of us, have been praying for.”

“First of all, the great news is that he is 19 years younger than me, so we’ll get a lot of work out of him,” Archbishop Schwietz observed. “We are deeply, deeply grateful that he said ‘Yes’ to our Holy Father, when the message came to him saying that our Holy Father had chosen him to be the next archbishop of Anchorage.”

EMBRACING THE CALL NORTH

Archbishop Etienne, who was raised in a devoutly Catholic family, is a prayerful bishop who spends many hours in Eucharistic adoration. Born in Tell City, Ind., he is the second son to Paul and Kay Etienne. Two of his brothers are priests and one of his two sisters is a Benedictine sister, all living in Indiana. His other brother and sister raised families in the state.

The Etiennes are close-knit and word of the Anchorage appointment came as a shock, Archbishop Etienne said, but one he fully and “humbly” embraces.

“Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, really means it when he says that he wants bishops to travel to the peripheries to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ and God’s love to strangers,” he said at the press conference. “With today’s appointment, he is sending me among you, in the name of Jesus Christ, as your new archbishop, to be your servant and shepherd.”

To the diocese he is leaving, Archbishop Etienne expressed his “deep gratitude to the church of Cheyenne, because they have loved me and formed me into the shepherd who stands before you today.”

He praised his predecessor, thanking Archbishop Schwietz for “his warm welcome.”

“I am happy that he will remain in our midst and I look forward to and will value his close collaboration and friendship in the days ahead,” Archbishop Etienne said.

Upon stepping in as head of the archdiocese, one of his first priorities will be to visit with parishes and the faithful — “…from Dutch Harbor in the west to Valdez in the east and from Seward in the south to Talkeetna in the north, I promise you that it is my desire to discern, discuss and accompany you on our faith journeys.”

As far as what Alaskans can expect of their new archbishop, he said he would give them “his all.”

“I love the Lord. I love being a priest. I love the church and the vision of the church’s full potential which is being charted by Pope Francis,” he said. “Please be patient and pray with and for me as I come to know you, and know that from this moment I will be your humble servant who loves you with the heart of the Gentle Shepherd. “

LEADERSHIP STYLE

In response to a question about his leadership style, Archbishop Etienne said he is a collaborator.

“I consult pretty broadly,” he noted. “I am mostly a pastor. I like to be out in the field. I like to be with the people, but I lean upon my staff and I will give them plenty of opportunity to tell me about this local church in this first year and to help me come to know it intimately.”

Over time he wants to put together a vision and mission for the archdiocese.

“We’ll do that collaboratively,” he said, “with the leadership here and the people of God out in the parishes.”

In terms of reaching out to far-flung parishes across vast geographical distances, Archbishop Etienne said his seven years in the 100,000-square-mile Wyoming Diocese were good preparation for the 138,000 square miles that make up the Anchorage Archdiocese. He said he is accustomed to traveling long distances to reach parishes, sometimes driving seven hours to be with the faithful as bishop in Wyoming.

While he spent most of his travel on the Wyoming road system, he said he is used to flying in small planes as well, something he will have to do to reach certain communities in Alaska.

Archbishop Etienne also actively utilizes Facebook, Twitter and a regular blog to communicate with parishioners. Recent posts highlight the importance of the sacraments, protecting the unborn, sharing one’s faith with others, courageously standing for peace in a violent world, caring for creation and celebrating the sacred bond of marriage.

TOP PRIORITIES

The initial priority for his new archdiocese will be focused on the “New Evangelization,” a term associated with reintroducing and revitalizing the faith in cultures where many have gradually drifted from the Gospel.

“There are many things that fall under that,” he said, “but our priority as a people of God is to, first of all, know how much our God loves us — to each of us to commit ourselves to developing that personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Because we have to have that foundation or it’s not possible for us to tell the world about Jesus Christ.”

In order to embark on the New Evangelization he said there must be “vibrant parishes” and a deep appreciation for the “sacraments of the church.”

Archbishop Etienne said he wants to “help those who are practicing their faith now to do so with a greater appreciation so that we can help those who claim to be Catholic to do so with greater fidelity and commitment.”

From there, he said, we must bring the “warmth and nearness and mercy of Jesus into the world where we live. That is enough to get us started.”

ON COMING TO ALASKA

Asked why he wanted to come to Alaska, Archbishop Etienne said it was not a post he was actively seeking, but an assignment he accepts as a servant of the Lord.

“I’ve been a priest 24-and-a-half years now and I promised the Lord in those ordination promises that I would follow wherever he led, so I’m here because I followed the Lord here,” he explained.

Before the two-day visit in early October, he had only been to Alaska once before, on a cruise ship through the Inside Passage many years ago.

“I have great memories of seeing all of the bald eagles and the trees, and a lot of the whales came to play alongside the ship one day,” he said. “I am an avid outdoorsman and I can’t wait to see more.”

PAST EXPERIENCES

Archbishop Etienne’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from the University of St. Thomas/St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He also has a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and a License in Spiritual Theology from Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on June 27, 1992. Following his ordination he served as pastor of a number of parishes. Among many other roles, he served as vocation director for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and vice rector of Bishop Simon Brute College Seminary in Indianapolis.

Since being ordained a bishop in 2009, he has held a number of national positions.

He currently serves as president of Catholic Rural Life, a national nonprofit dedicated to ”applying the teachings of Jesus Christ for the social, economic, and spiritual development of rural America.”

For the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), he serves as chairman of Catholic Home Missions, which offers grants to missionary endeavors to strengthen the church in the United States and its territories. He also serves on the U.S. bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, which advises bishops on child and youth protection issues and provides them with planning and recommendations.

Additionally, Archbishop Etienne serves on the board of trustees for St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, and he just finished a seven-year term on the board of directors for Wyoming Catholic College.

With his appointment to Anchorage, he will be the fourth archbishop following Archbishop Schwietz, late Archbishop Francis Hurley and late Archbishop Joseph Ryan.

ADAPTING TO CHANGES

In the final days until his installation, Archbishop Etienne said he will be saying his goodbyes in Wyoming, while taking time to gather his “thoughts and pray for this portion of God’s family and begin planning for that installation Mass.”

He is also aware that the appointment of a new archbishop does not come without some uncertainty on the part of parishioners as they prepare to welcome a new leader. In addressing this he asked Alaskans to join him in prayer and gratitude “to God for his many providences and blessings.”

“And join me in praying for our common future together,” Archbishop Etienne added. “Our church is a church that desires to be a mother to all people. Our church is a church that sends shepherds to be near to God’s people and that is the desire of my heart.”

He said it is important to “prayerfully discern what the desire of God’s heart is for us as a church at this time. I will do my best to be that nearness and closeness and compassion and mercy and love of the Lord in this local church.”