Catholic Bishop William K. Weigand, pastoral leader of 75,000 Utahns, announced Tuesday that Pope John Paul II has appointed him bishop of Sacramento, Calif.
During a somewhat wistful press conference, he said he will take over the much larger diocese in a ceremony tentatively scheduled for Jan. 27, 1994. In California he will lead some 350,000 Catholics.Within eight days of his leaving, a panel of seven priests in Utah will convene to elect a priest to take over administration until a new bishop is appointed.
The Catholic Church "takes its sweet time" in appointing new bishops, he said. The process can take six months but typically lasts nine months to a year. He noted that his predecessor in Sacramento, Bishop Francis A. Quinn, announced a year ago that he was retiring.
Asked if he felt any regrets about his work in Utah, or felt he had left anything undone, the 56-year-old Bishop Weigand said, "As a matter of fact, I feel fairly satisfied."
He only learned of the new appointment a little over a week ago. "I was looking toward coasting a bit toward retirement, with more fishing and more camping," he said.
With the change, he predicted, he will be revitalized. "I will probably now get old less quickly because of the new challenges."
Among main achievements he cited were the Catholic Church's improved relations with Utah's vast LDS population.
On the upper levels, the two churches always have had good rapport. Improvements have come on "the neighborhood level, grass-roots level," where it is important to maintain goodwill and mutual respect, he said.
"Although Sacramento is considered a nice promotion due to the much larger Catholic population there, I must confess that my emotions are in turmoil as I think about leaving Utah," he said.
"After 13 years here as the seventh Catholic bishop, I have come to deeply love Utah and its people. I have also come to love Utah's mountains and lakes, its national parks and deserts, its cities and towns."
Utah and Utahns have been kind to him, and leaving will not be easy, he said.
He did not seek the advancement and will not shrink from the new challenge, Bishop Weigand added.
"Every assignment I have been given has turned out well, whether in Idaho, Latin America or in Utah." He has no reason to think that the new position will be any different.
The Diocese of Sacramento is only about half the area of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, which includes all of Utah. But with 20 California counties and 42,500 square miles, the new diocese includes many more outlying parishes and missions.
"As in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Sacramento also has a large Catholic Hispanic population," he said.
When the Deseret News asked him to review the statistics of growth in the Catholic Church in Utah since he was ordained as bishop in 1980, he said:
- Utah's Catholic population has increased from an estimated 60,000 to 75,000, although Bishop Weigand warned that the figures might not be precise.
- He instigated the construction of two new Catholic elementary schools, bringing the number from seven to nine.
- Three new parishes were created, for 43 altogether.
- "In many parishes new facilities have been built . . . especially in the rural areas." In the outlying regions like Wendover, Ephraim and Huntsville, 10 or 12 new chapels or centers have been built.
- The number of priests ordained has increased, as it would with any bishop, he said.
- Facilities like the Marillac House for Homeless Women were opened.
Among his proudest achievements, he said, were better presence and visibility for Utah's Catholics and "greatly increased service to the poor."
Bishop Weigand noted that he has made friends here and "I settled in. I thought I was here forever."
"In fact, I suspect I will not be able to leave entirely. Some deep part of my heart and being will remain in this great land of Utah."
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Bishop William K. Weigand's: Service highlights in Utah: -- September, 1980: Pope John Paul II names Fr. William K. Weigand, 43, as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, which covers all of Utah. Weigand is pastor of St. Hubert Parish in the small town of Homedale, Idaho. He replaces Bishop Joseph L. Federal, who had served as leader of Utah Catholics since 1960.
-- Nov. 17, 1980: Bishop Weigand is ordained in the Salt Palace. The ceremony was notable for its canting of ancient prayers as well as new forms of worship, such as Hispanic folk music and prayers in both English and Spanish. Bishop Weigand moves in to a modest brick home on Salt Lake's west side.
-- 1982: Bishop Weigand tells a University of Utah group that awakening people to their own worth and dignity represents an alternative to Marxist revolution in South America.
-- 1983: Saying the traffic in pornography is a serious problem that harms children, families and communities, Bishop Weigand supports then-Pres. Ronald Reagan's efforts against pornography.
-- 1984: His office announces that he suffers from primary sclerosing cholangitis, a liver disease.
-- 1987: Bishop Weigand calls for compassion for those who have AIDS, saying the disease is not a punishment. He also says teens need morals, not contraceptives.
-- April 1991: Led by Bishop Weigand, Utah Catholics celebrate the centennial of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. "We celebrate not our own achievements, but God's work in our midst," he says.
-- July 1992: Bishop Weigand has an emergency appendectomy at Holy Cross Hospital.
-- January and February 1993: the Cathedral of the Madeleine is rededicated, ending a $9 million restoration process begun 15 years earlier.
-- July 1993: Bishop Weigand helps coordinate Salt Lake City's service as a "hub city" for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Denver in August.
-- October 1993: Bishop Weigand leads a drive to derail the proposed sale of Holy Cross Health Services of Utah.
-- Nov. 30, 1993: Bishop Weigand holds a press conference to announce the Vatican is transferring him to the Diocese of Sacramento, Calif.
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Local leaders bid fond farewell
- Rabbi Frederick L. Wegner of the Congregation Kol Ami - "We will miss Bishop Weigand. We salute his accomplishments during his tenure here and wish him good luck and congratulations on his appointment."
- The Rev. John Kaloudis, pastor of the Greek Orthodox Community - "I think it is a great loss to Salt Lake City. Bishop Weigand has not only represented the Catholic Church well, but all of the Christian community. I have found him to be a cordial, genuine Christian man, a person of humility and love."
- First Presidency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - "We note with interest the promotion of Bishop William K. Weigand, who has served so well these past 13 years as bishop of the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese. The influence of Bishop Weigand on the state of Utah will be greatly missed. He has made an outstanding contribution during these many years of service. We congratulate him on his achievements and his new assignment, but we shall mostly miss him for his friendship and his influence for good."
- Jon Huntsman, industrialist - "Bishop William Weigand is a gifted and wise leader. He has extended his arms around the community of Utah and reached out to all faiths. Our family considers him a treasured friend; may God bless him."
- Monsignor Joseph Terence Fitzgerald, president/principal, Judge Memorial Catholic High School - "During the past 13 years, Bishop Weigand has made a significant contribution to the Utah community. His outreach to the poor, the most vulnerable . . . has been admirable and most effective. He worked to expand social services, and tried to help the minorities, including Hispanics, Native Americans, Koreans, blacks and South Pacific people. He reached out, trying to "involve and mobilize people of all faiths to help the down and out." Fitzgerald added also praised Bishop Weigand's leadership in the restoration of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. "I think all people here, especially the Catholic community, but all people, will miss him greatly. All of us are honored by the fact that he was chosen to be bishop of the capital of California."