The Bishops of the Diocese of Baker
Most Reverend William S. Skylstad
Appointed Apostolic Administrator
of the Diocese of Baker
effective January 24, 2011
PERSONAL
Place of Birth: Omak, Washington
Date of Birth: March 2, 1934
Father: Stephen Martin Skylstad
Mother: Reneldes Elizabeth DanzlEDUCATION
Pontifical College Josephinum, Worthington, Ohio: 1948-1960
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington: 1960-1961
Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington: 1962-1966RELIGIOUS CAREERS
Assistant Pastor, Pullman, Washington 1960-1961
Teacher, Mater Cleri Seminary, Colbert, Washington 1960-1968
Rector, Mater Cleri Seminary, Colbert, Washington 1968-1974
Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Colbert, Washington 1968-1974
Pastor, Assumption Parish, Spokane, Washington 1974-1976
Chancellor, Diocese of Spokane 1976-1977
Bishop, Diocese of Yakima 1977-1990
Bishop, Diocese of Spokane 1990-2010
Apostolic Administrator Diocese of Baker 2011
Former Episcopal Liaison for Worldwide Marriage EncounterDATES OF ORDINATION
Priesthood: May 21, 1960
Bishop: May 12, 1977
USCCB:
President: 2001-2007
Vice President: 2001-2004
Former Chair: USCCB Committee on the Permanent Diaconate
USCCB Committee on Social Development & World Peace - Domestic Policy
USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Bishops' Life & Ministry
Co-Chair Catholic-Methodist National Dialogue
Member: Justice, Peace & Human Development - International Committee USCCBNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Board member: National Partnership for Religion and the Environment
Board member: Catholic Relief Services Foundation
Most Reverend Robert Francis Vasa, D.D.
Bishop Robert F. Vasa
who served as Bishop of Baker
from January 26, 2000, to January 24, 2011
Curriculum Vitae
Most Reverend Thomas J. Connolly, D.D., JCD
Bishop Emeritus
Bishop Thomas Joseph Connolly
originally from Nevada, moved the Chancery Offices from
Baker City to Bend in the mid-80s.
Unifier 1971 - 1999
Bishop Connolly celebrated his 39th Anniversary
as Bishop on June 30, 2010. Ad Multos Annos.Thomas Joseph Connolly was born on July 18, 1922, in Tonopah, Nevada. He attended St. Joseph Minor Seminary in Mt. View, California and completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park. After ordination on April 8, 1947, Fr. Connolly served briefly as an associate pastor and a high school teacher before his appointment in 1949 as secretary to Bishop Gorman. Studies in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., and at the Lateran University in Rome prepared him for a doctorate degree in 1952. For the next 20 years he served as pastor at the Cathedral in Reno and of churches in Elko and Carson City. Appointed to succeed Bishop Leipzig, he was ordained the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Baker on June 20, 1971.
Bishop Connolly's greatest challenge would be the earth-shaking changes in the Church brought on by the Second Vatican Council. The establishment of a Priests' Council, an annual Presbyteral Assembly, a Sisters' Council and a Diocesan Pastoral Council with lay participation revealed the Bishop's accord with the Council's new view of the Church.
Compared with Bishop Leipzig's era, the 70s were not to see extensive church construction in the Diocese. Major building was replaced by renovation projects to bring the churches into compliance with the requisites of the liturgy and other renewal initiated by the Council. Altars were turned around to make the Eucharist as a meal as well as a sacrifice more recognizable. Confessionals were remodeled to allow face-to-face Reconciliation. Interfaith Centers were created in a new spirit of openness to other Christian denominations. Under his direction and that of Fr. Richard Groves, the DeSales Catholic Adult Education Video Program was produced and used in over 7,000 parishes in the country and internationally. The program was rated the best Catholic Adult Program for 5 years.
From 1981 to 1993, church construction resumed, initiated by an extensive refurbishing of the Cathedral to bring it into accord with the liturgical directives of Vatican Council II. Rededication ceremonies took place on April 28, 1981. Seven new churches and halls were built within the Diocese. In 1972, the Bishop established the Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) as an instrument through which the laity, religious and clergy on its seven committees exercised their ministry against the backdrop of his belief in the need for shared responsibility among all the Diocese. After strengthening the education of parents requesting the Baptism of their children, mandating a three month preparation for marriage, encouraging evangelization and suggesting that ever parish establish a Parish Council, the DPC focused its energies on the development of lay ministry.
Bishop Connolly was deeply devoted to the promotion of family life, was deeply conscious of youth as the future of the Church, welcomed the "Latino" flock by scheduling regular Masses in Spanish, and establishing a program to assist undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship, and ordained the first married permanent deacon for the Diocese which grew to 13 men in this office by 2003.
Maintaining to the end his vision of shared responsibility coupled with committed leadership and clarity of roles, Bishop Connolly left office in 1999, holding that the best mode of operation for the success of Christ's ministry is love. He had succeeded in unifying the Diocese during a time of dire challenge and change. It is estimated that he traveled more than a million miles by car, visiting parishes and missions.
During his tenure, he sought to solve problems through the introduction of innovative programs. Under his guidance, a major renovation of the Cathedral was accomplished, and the Chancery offices were moved to Bend on October 7, 1987. Bishop Connolly served 29 years as the Bishop of Baker.
Most Reverend Francis P. Leipzig
Bishop Francis P. Leipzig
who served during the transitional
years of Vatican Council II.
Builder 1950 - 1971Francis Peter Leipzig was born in Chilton, Wisconsin, the fourth child of Francis and Mary (née Cordy) Leipzig. He enrolled at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, but later moved with his family to Portland, Oregon. He attended Mount Angel Seminary and then studied theology at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Alexander Christie on April 17, 1920. He served as a curate at St. James Church in McMinnville and afterwards at Good Shepherd Church in Sheridan. He was transferred to the Cathedral of Portland in 1921. He was pastor of St. Mary Church in Corvallis for seven years before being transferred to St. Mary Church in Eugene.
On July 18, 1950, Leipzig was appointed the third Bishop of Baker by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following September 12 from Archbishop Edward Daniel Howard, with Archbishop Edwin Vincent O'Hara and Bishop Edward Joseph Kelly serving as co-consecrators. Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. During his 21-year-long tenure, he built over 95 churches, hospitals, schools, and convents. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he resigned as bishop on April 26, 1971. Bishop Leipzig later died at age 85.
Within the first 15 years, he added 27 priests to his clerical staff so that in 1965, for a Catholic population of almost 25,000, or 9 percent of the Oregon population, there were 56 priests serving 63 parishes or missions. By the end of his tenure, Bishop Leipzig had renovated the Cathedral Church and built 30 new churches, 11 rectories, a new chancery and other church-related facilities. Among the Bishop's highest achievements was the establishment of a "Baker Diocese Edition" of the Catholic Sentinel in 1958. The four-page supplement was in some cases subsidized for all parishioners by the parish. Today subscriptions are purchased at the option of individual families.
During his service the Vietnam War was to encourage dissent throughout the nation and throughout the Diocese. Priests began to resign from the priesthood or to transfer to other jurisdictions. Men and women religious left their congregations even as new facilities for catechetical ministry were being built. Gradually certified lay persons were trained and found their place in these positions. Then came Vatican II with many its many changes which eventually produced divisions. Those who favored "the fresh air" of the Council were on one side; those who clung to tradition, on the other. As the building of churches wound down toward the end of his tenure, Bishop Leipzig made serious efforts to remain open to the signs of the times. He became one of the first American bishops to establish a Priests Senate in his Diocese. He encouraged the training of laity for various ministries now open to them. And true to his own inner resolve to serve his people as the Body of Christ, he provided priests and services for the Hispanic Catholics who were settling in increasing numbers in Hood River, The Dalles and Hermiston along the Columbia River and in the parishes of Malheur County.
Bishop Leipzig retired in 1971 and spent his remaining years researching the history of the Church in the Northwest. He died on January 17, 1981, in Portland.
Most Reverend Leo Fahey
Coadjutor Bishop Leo F. Fahey
who was designated to follow
Bishop McGrath, but died prematurely.1948-1950
Leo Fabiano Fahey was born in Bay St. Louis, MS, on July 21, 1898. He was ordained a priest May 29, 1926, consecrated Bishop on May 26, 1948, and appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Baker City March 13, 1948. Bishop Fahey spent his first year in Oregon touring the Diocese, never feeling completely in charge. An illness in 1949 led to a premature death on April 1, 1950 at the age of 51. Bishop McGrath outlived him, dying two weeks later.
Most Reverend Joseph F. McGrath
Bishop Joseph McGrath
who served during the recession and the
turbulent years of World War II
Educator 1918 - 1950Joseph Francis McGrath was born in Kilmacow, County Kilkenny, in 1871 and made his theological studies at the Grande Seminaire in Montreal in Quebec, Canada. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 21, 1895. He served as a curate in the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, before doing missionary work among the Native Americans in Northern Michigan for two years. He then went to Washington, where he served as a curate at the Cathedral of Seattle and afterwards as rector of St. Patrick's Church in Tacoma.
On December 21, 1918, McGrath was appointed the second Bishop of Baker City, Oregon, by Pope Benedict XV. He received his episcopal consecration on March 25, 1919, from Bishop Edward John O'Dea, with Bishops Mathias Clement Lenihan and John Patrick Carroll serving as co-consecrators. Scarcely two years after the Bishop's arrival in the Diocese, he consecrated the New St. Francis of Assisi in Bend, dedicating it to the patron of the Capuchins whom Bishop O'Reilly had invited to tend it.
In 1937 Bishop McGrath mandated the establishment of CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) in every parish and mission and personally visited each parish to formally bless its inauguration. The program was so successful that other dioceses throughout the U.S. and Canada latched on to the CCD materials developed in Eastern Oregon, and many sought help and guidance from the Diocesan office.
He headed the diocese for thirty-one years, making him the longest-serving bishop in diocesan history. In 1948 Bishop McGrath, now 77 and ailing, asked for assistance in the administration of the Diocese. Many were stunned when capable Oregon clergy were by-passed and Fr. Leo Fabian Fahey from Mississippi was named Coadjutor. Bishop McGrath died at age 79.
Most Reverend Charles O'Reilly
Bishop Charles O'Reilly,
our founding Bishop,
who was also responsible for building
the Cathedral of St Francis de Sales
Founder 1903-1918Charles Joseph O'Reilly (January 4, 1862—February 4, 1923) was a Canadian-born Roman Catholic clergyman. He was born in St. John, New Brunswick, and received his education at St. Joseph's College, Memramcook, and the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained to the priesthood at Portland, Oregon, on June 29, 1890. He was then named to the mission of Oswego and Tegardville, and was made rector of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Portland, in February 1894.
On June 25, 1903, O'Reilly was appointed the first Bishop of the newly-erected Diocese of Baker City by Pope Leo XIII. The counties east of the Cascade Range were incorporated into this new Diocese of Baker City. He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 25 from Archbishop Alexander Christie, with Bishops Alphonse Joseph Glorieux and Edward John O'Dea serving as co-consecrators. Although by 1906 he had ordained the first priest for the Diocese and ordinations were to continue almost yearly, the Bishop invited Franciscan priests, Capuchins and Dominican sisters to perform needed ministries among his people.
During the years immediately preceding his transfer in 1918 (for health reasons) to Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop O'Reilly continued to build schools and hospitals. He was named the third Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 20, 1918. Bishop O'Reilly died at age 63.The History Project, University of California
Catholic Sentinel, 12/12/1997 and 2/25/2000.
A History of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars in the Western United States
Catholicity featuring Diocese of Baker and Bishop Charles O'Reilly
Most information on this page was taken from The Catholic Church of Eastern Oregon by Loretta Pastva, SND, published in 2003.
This beautiful hardcover book has 111 pages covering a 100 year history of the Diocese with colorful pictures of our
Bishops, Priests, Parishioners, Churches, and Missions. It is truly a wealth of information for young and old.
This book may be purchased at the Diocese of Baker for $10 plus shipping.
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Diocese of Baker
PO Box 5999
Bend, OR 97708-5999
(541) 388-4004
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