A Catholic pastor who previously served the Archdiocese of Anchorage has been named to Juneau’s vacant bishop position.
The Rev. Andrew E. Bellisario, 60, will be ordained and installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Juneau on Oct. 10.
Bellisario said when he got the call to be selected for the position, he was surprised and even had trouble catching his breath.
“The call to love and to serve the poor, the venerable, children, immigrants refugees, prisoners, seniors, the sick, the discarded, the addicted the lonely the depressed, the homeless the forgotten is the call of the church,” Bellisario said this morning at a news conference.
The bishop seat has been vacant since Edward J. Burns, who held the position since 2009, was appointed bishop of Dallas in February.
“We have many people of all faiths here in this diocese, and I send my fraternal greetings to you,” Bellisario said. “I look forward to collaborating with you, and dialoguing with you.”
The Diocese of Juneau is the smallest in the United States by population, but covers all of Southeast Alaska.
About 16 percent of Alaskans are Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center, which is lower than the national average of about 20 percent.
The Diocese of Juneau reports a Catholic population of 10,600 parishioners.
