John Charles Wester (born November 5, 1950) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Santa Fe since 2015. He previously served as Bishop of Salt Lake City from 2007 to 2015 and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco from 1998 to 2007.

Early life and education

John Wester was born in San Francisco, California, on November 5, 1950, the fourth generation of his family born there. Wester attended Our Lady of Mercy Parish School in Daly City, California. Wester graduated from St. Joseph's College Seminary in Mountain View, California, in 1972 before attending St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1976. Wester received a Master of Applied Science degree from the University of San Francisco in 1984, and then a Master of Spiritual Theology degree from Holy Names College in Oakland, California in 1993.

Early career

Wester was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joseph McGucken for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco on May 15, 1976. After his 1976 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Wester as associate pastor at Saint Raphael Parish in San Rafael, California. In 1979, he was appointed as a teacher and director of campus ministry at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California. Wester later became president of the high school and eventually assistant superintendent for high schools for the archdiocese. In 1988, Archbishop John R. Quinn named Wester as his assistant. Wester's first appointment as pastor was at Saint Stephen Parish in San Francisco in 1993. Wester returned to the Pastoral Center in 1997 to become the vicar for clergy, where he was named a monsignor by the Vatican.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco

On June 30, 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed Wester as titular bishop of Lamiggiga and as an auxiliary bishop of San Francisco. He received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption from Cardinal William Levada on September 18, 1998. Wester then served as moderator of the curia until 2003. While he was episcopal vicar for clergy, Wester also served as vicar general of the archdiocese. He also served as apostolic administrator from August 2005 to February 2006. Wester was heavily involved in sexual abuse cases in the archdiocese, meeting with victims and accused clergy.

Bishop of Salt Lake City

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Wester as bishop of Salt Lake City on January 8, 2007. He was installed there on March 14, 2007.

Archbishop of Santa Fe

On April 27, 2015, Pope Francis appointed Wester as archbishop for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. He was installed there on June 4, 2015. Since his consecration, Wester has been involved with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as a member of the Bishops Committee on Vocations, chairman of Northern California Ch'an/Zen-Catholic Dialogue, consultant for the Subcommittee on Interreligious Dialogue, member of the Migration Committee, the Pastoral Practices Committee, World Mission Committee, the Subcommittee on Lay Ministry, and as the USCCB bishop-liaison to Asia. Wester has also been a strong advocate against the death penalty and for nuclear disarmament, among other social issues.

Viewpoints

Santa Muerte

In 2019, Wester condemned Santa Muerte (Saint Death), a recent religious movement in Mexico and South America inspired by drug traffickers. He said that devotion to Santa Muerte was inconsistent with Catholic teachings.