BISHOPS RELATIONS
The TEC Conference enjoys a close and long-standing relationship with many bishops in North America and abroad.
We welcome Bishop William P. Callahan, OFM Conv, as the new Episcopal Moderator for the TEC Conference. Archbishop Roger Schweitz, OMI, of Anchorage has been TEC's Episcopal Moderator for many years, and will now support Bishop Callahan in the capacity as Episcopal Moderator Emeritus.
Use the links for more information about TEC's association with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and to view the letters of support from many bishops who appreciate having TEC in their dioceses.
Most Rev. Roger L. Schwietz, OMI
TEC Conference Episcopal Moderator Emeritus
www.archdioceseofanchorage.org
A member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate since his first profession of vows on August 15, 1961, Archbishop Schwietz was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 3, 1940 and baptized on July 21, 1940 in Saint Casimir Church. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on December 20, 1967 and consecrated Bishop of Duluth at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary on February 2, 1990.
Prior to being named Bishop of Duluth, Archbishop Schwietz served as associate pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in International Falls, Minnesota from 1975-1978. In 1978, Archbishop Schwietz was named Director of the College Seminary program for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1984, he became pastor of Holy Family parish in Duluth, Minnesota, from where he was appointed by Pope John Paul II the seventh Bishop of Duluth on December 12, 1989.
In addition to an undergraduate degree in Philosophy, he has earned a M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa; a S.T.L. in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome; and a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University. Archbishop Schwietz was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree from Lewis University in 1998.
Since being named Bishop of Duluth and Currently as Archbishop of Anchorage, Archbishop Schwietz has held a number of positions within the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. He served as a consultant to the Liturgy Committee from 1991-1994. He served as a member of the Bishop’s Vocation Committee from 1992-2004, being elected chair of the committee in 1998. He served as a member of the Bishops’ Committee on the Laity from 1995-1998 and chairman of its Subcommittee on Youth from 1993-1998. He has served as a member of the Catholic Relief Services Board of Directions from 1997-2003 and a member of the NCCB Administrative Board from 1994-1997 and 1998-2002. He has served as the Regional Representative on the Board for the North American College at Louvain, 2001-present.
Archbishop Schwietz currently serves as Episcopal Moderator Emeritus for Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) movement. He previously served as Episcopal Moderator and had held that position since 1991. He also served as Episcopal Liaison to Region I of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.
In his ten years as Bishop of Duluth, he wrote three pastoral letters: A Call to Charity; A Call to Conversion and A Call to Hope.
Archbishop Schwietz was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Anchorage by Pope John Paul II on January 18, 2000 and became the Archbishop of Anchorage on March 3, 2001, upon the retirement of the Most Reverend Francis T. Hurley.
Most Rev. William P. Callahan OFM Conv
TEC Conference Episcopal Moderator
www.archmil.org
Most Reverend William P. Callahan, OFM. Conv, was named an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Pope Benedict XVI on October 30, 2007.
Bishop Callahan, 57 (June 17, 1950), is a Conventual Franciscan of the St. Bonaventure Province in Chicago. A native of Chicago, Bishop Callahan has served in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as associate pastor of the Basilica of St. Josaphat Parish, from 1977 to 1978, and, again, as rector and pastor of St. Josaphat Parish, from 1994 to 2005. He left the parish in 2005 and served as Spiritual Director for the Pontifical North American College, the seminary for Americans, in Rome until December 14, 2007.
Bishop Callahan was ordained to the priesthood on April 30, 1977, by Milwaukee Archbishop William E. Cousins. In addition to serving as associate pastor of St. Josaphat, he served as the Director of Vocations for the Conventual Franciscans, from 1978 to 1984; as Associate Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Peoria, Ill., from 1984 to 1987; and as Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Peoria, from 1987-1994.
He attended St. Mary Minor Seminary in Crystal Lake, Ill., and studied at Junior College in Chicago, before being accepted in the Novitiate of St. Bonaventure at Lake Forest, Ill., where he continued his formation from 1969 to 1970. From 1970 to 1973, he studied at Loyola University in Chicago, earning a bachelor's degree in Radio and Television Communications. He earned his Master's of Divinity degree from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in 1976.
The youngest of four children, Bishop Callahan has two older sisters and one older brother. His parents, Ellen and William Callahan, are deceased.
Auxiliary Bishops serve the Church by helping a diocesan bishop in the pastoral and spiritual leadership of a diocese. They assist the diocesan bishop in his role as shepherd -- teaching, leading, serving and celebrating the sacraments with the people of the diocese.
The religious order of Conventuals are members of the world wide Franciscan Order, who were granted approval from the Church in 1209.
