When will Utah Catholics get a new bishop? After all, it's been a year

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Archbishop John Wester presides over his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4).

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune

Amee Garcia vists with departing Archbishop John C. Wester at the Little America on Sunday, May 31, 2015.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Archbishop John Wester accepts roses from children as he presides over his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4).

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Hands are raised over Archbishop John Wester as prayers for him are said during his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4).

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Archbishop John Wester presides over his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4).

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune
Archbishop John C. Wester is welcomed after Vespers Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe and his Rite of Reception of the Archbishop in his Cathedral Church.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Bishop John C Wester, left, speaks with Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, center, and Colin F. Bircumshaw, during a press conference where Bishop Wester discussed his recent appointment to New Mexico after serving in Utah since 2007.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune
The 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe, John C. Wester, walks with the procession, Thursday, June 4, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune
The 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester is greeted by parishioners outside the cathedral after his mass installation, Thursday, June 4, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in New Mexico.

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Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Archbishop John Wester presides over his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4). Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Amee Garcia vists with departing Archbishop John C. Wester at the Little America on Sunday, May 31, 2015. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Archbishop John Wester accepts roses from children as he presides over his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4). Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Hands are raised over Archbishop John Wester as prayers for him are said during his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4). Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Archbishop John Wester presides over his final Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Wester has been bishop of the Salt Lake City diocese and its 300,000 Catholics since March 2007, and is to be installed as archbishop of the Sante Fe diocese on Thursday (June 4). Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Archbishop John C. Wester is welcomed after Vespers Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe and his Rite of Reception of the Archbishop in his Cathedral Church. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Bishop John C Wester, left, speaks with Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, center, and Colin F. Bircumshaw, during a press conference where Bishop Wester discussed his recent appointment to New Mexico after serving in Utah since 2007. Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune The 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe, John C. Wester, walks with the procession, Thursday, June 4, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe. Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune The 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester is greeted by parishioners outside the cathedral after his mass installation, Thursday, June 4, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in New Mexico.

By Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

· May 4, 2016 11:47 am

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It has been 366 days — that's right, one full leap year — since Utah's Catholic bishop, John C. Wester, was appointed as archbishop of Santa Fe, leaving Salt Lake City's diocese without a permanent ecclesiastical leader.

That is now the longest bishop vacancy in the country, diocesan spokeswoman Susan Dennin said Wednesday.

And there isn't any official end in sight.

In the interim, the diocese is being run by Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, the vicar general who was elected diocesan administrator in June 2015 after Wester's departure for New Mexico.

Bircumshaw was asked to "maintain stability within the life of the diocese," according to a release at the time.

Today, all 300,000-plus Catholics in the Beehive State are "prayerfully waiting," Dennin said Wednesday. "We hope to see a new bishop soon."

Peggy Fletcher Stack