Messages From Diocese of Salt Lake City Parishioners

Friday, May. 29, 2015

It is certainly not a surprise to anyone who knows Bishop Wester that a promotion was inevitable. His spirituality, courage, work ethic and warm pastoral style are a combination to make him a wise choice to be noticed and elevated to a more prominent role in the Catholic Church. While we are sad to “lose” him, we must just appreciate the fact that we had eight years to be led by him and that he, in turn, learned to love both the people of Utah and our state’s spectacular geography.

St. Thomas More Parish

Congratulations on your well-deserved appointment as the Archbishop of Santa Fe. We will greatly miss your presence here; you have always been a source of great inspiration for us. We will always pray for your peace and good health.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish

Standing in the reception line in 2007 to greet Bishop Wester after his installation, I scrambled for something witty or clever to say. What popped out as I stood in front of him was neither witty nor clever; instead, perhaps a bit cheeky: “Hi, I’m Julie, and I want to be your friend.”

Friendship had been a major theme in the homily he’d just delivered, so my comment showed that I’d been listening.  Still, I was a bit embarrassed by my informality. I stammered out next that I’d been the Diocesan Pastoral Council President under Bishop Niederauer and would be happy to serve him in whatever capacity he needed.  He laughed at the friend line and eagerly accepted my invitation to help with the DPC.  

Those two responses became hallmarks for my interaction with Bishop Wester.  He didn’t demand formality, and he was committed to listening to the voices and needs of the laity, women included. He devoted time and energy to the council, adapting ideas from the National Advisory Board to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and giving us freedom to voice positions that differed from his own. 

Over the next eight years we had vigorous discussions about gun control legislation, the death penalty, immigration, and changing the age for Confirmation, to name just a few. During two presidential campaigns marked in some dioceses by polarizing political statements, Bishop Wester refused to use the ambo and the Eucharist as a divisive weapon.  People should be able to come to Mass, knowing they were coming to hear the Word of God and be nourished at His Table, he would say. 

A real trust developed between him and the DPC. He expected people to tell him what he really needed to hear, and folks knew he would listen with open ears and respond with respect, if not total agreement.  One of our last meetings with him, at his request, was to respond to him directly about the issues addressed in the Pastoral Planning surveys. He wanted to hear things firsthand, not filtered through layers of reports, and he listened carefully, even to a few things that were painful.    

In the first letter I sent to council members to announce that Bishop Wester was reconstituting the council, I wrote: “Having had the opportunity to meet Bishop Wester several times, I believe that our Diocese is truly blessed to have him as our new shepherd…”  Eight years later, I know that to be a true statement.   Perhaps the best way to sum Bishop Wester up is to say that he has been, from the very beginning, a “Pope Francis-type” bishop, one who has the smell of his sheep.

Past President

Diocesan Pastoral Council

Saint Helen Parish in Roosevelt would like to express our gratitude to Archbishop Wester.  

We appreciate the times you came to the Uinta Basin for Confirmation and the celebration for St. Kateri Tekawitha. You were very supportive of our mission. 

We are saddened by your leaving the Diocese of Salt Lake City, but know that you will be such an asset and blessing to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. 

Our prayers and well wishes go with you as you follow God’s plan.

We are excited for the Diocese of Santa Fe, that they will share in the many gifts and kindness you have brought us. Your example of friendship and empathy has deeply touched us and your special love of our Spanish-speaking community is exemplary.

We will miss you but through prayer and visits you won’t be far away. Godspeed to you!

Love in Christ,

St. Ambrose Parish

Archbishop Niederauer used a quote in several of his homilies that I found very profound:  A Christian leaves behind in life a trail of many tombs, only the last of which is the grave.  

As you, Archbishop Wester, leave our diocese and begin a new life on your earthly journey, you take my support, my prayers and my unending gratitude for all you have accomplished in your eight years in Salt Lake City.  

God be with you.

Blessings,

Cathedral of the Madeleine Parish

Archbishop John Wester has been a gift to the communities of Utah. He has taught us how to talk to each other, how to value each person as an individual, and how to interact with all religious groups and all people as we serve citizens of Utah. 

He has also taught us how to be true to our Catholic teaching and values with commitment and pride. He built bridges of communication between our Church and the political institutions as well as with other religious groups. 

We are all better because he has taught us how to join together with others to achieve partnerships for service to others. His example has been to lead with love. We will miss him but must continue to follow his example. 

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish

May God be the Light in your new journey. … We are going to miss you, and I want you to know that you’ll be always in our hearts.

Saint Joseph Parish

Archbishop Wester, 

Thank you for making us feel valuable and loved. You are a man in whom we saw the face of Christ.

Jaime Gonzalez 

Cathedral of the Madeleine Parish

Archbishop Wester, 

I want to tell you that we love you and we are going to miss you dearly. Thank you for your time and your love. Hurray to Archbishop Wester!!!

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish