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Bishop Olmsted appointed administrator of Gallup
Phoenix bishop sees opportunities in temporary Gallup assignment
By Robert DeFrancesco, The Catholic Sun
January 11, 2008
At a cursory glance, the dioceses of Phoenix and Gallup couldn’t appear to be more different.
Though they share a border in the eastern region of Arizona — and now a bishop — culture, resources and population show a sharp contrast between the two sister dioceses.
But in terms of faith, perhaps the most critical measurement, Phoenix and Gallup are one and the same.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted — who was recently tapped to lead the Diocese of Gallup for at least the next year, in addition to continuing to lead the Phoenix Diocese — spent time reflecting on his recent trip to New Mexico and his initial impressions. It was his first meeting with the clergy and staff since being named apostolic administrator of Gallup Jan. 3, a new responsibility to which he “could happily say yes.”
As apostolic administrator, Bishop Olmsted will be fulfilling the administrative and pastoral duties of Gallup Bishop Donald E. Pelotte, SSS. In December, Bishop Pelotte was granted a yearlong medical leave of absence after he suffered traumatic injuries last summer at his home. He tried to return to work on a limited basis in the fall, but found he needed additional time for recovery.
Bishop Olmsted will split his time each week between the two dioceses, spending the first few days in Phoenix before catching the hour-and-15-minute flight in a small, four-seat airplane to Gallup each Thursday morning.
On the day the announcement was made that he’d be bishop for two dioceses, he met with news media in Gallup, in addition to clergy and staff of the diocese’s pastoral center, where he was “very warmly received.”
“The priests and people could not be more welcoming to me,” the bishop said. “The staff is not real large, which means the meeting could be more informal and the interchange could be more lively, and it was.”
The staff’s initial mood when he arrived was one of “uncertainty,” he said, which stemmed from Bishop Pelotte not having been present and ministering among them for the last six months.
“There was almost a fragility there, I would say, during that time. But in terms of people of faith, they responded right away to me, recognizing the love of Pope Benedict to want to provide for them,” Bishop Olmsted said, “and accepting me as the person that he provided. That was true for the staff and it was true for the priests.”
On Friday he spent the day with the diocese’s priests at a local retreat center. They celebrated Mass together, followed by time spent in discussion about the upcoming year.
The central theme that the bishop interwove through his meetings and Masses was a phrase he borrowed from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
“At this time in the Diocese of Gallup, which has been a time of uncertainty and pain, certainly for Bishop Pelotte above all, we should trust that God is with us. If He’s with us, then there’s good reason for hope,” the bishop said.
“God is with us at every time in our life. God makes all things for good. Unknowns, pain, uncertainties, joy,” the bishop added. “All things.”
He also celebrated weekend Masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral, which perhaps by an act of Divine Providence, coincided with the Feast of the Epiphany.
“Of course the Epiphany is the whole thing of God’s light coming into the darkness in our life,” he said. “And I think that was a very providential message from above.”
Sede plena
It’s uncommon for a diocese to be assigned an apostolic administrator sede plena, or when a bishop’s seat is not vacant. Bishop Olmsted will have full pastoral and administrative authority, meaning he can appoint pastors and make key decisions for the diocese.
“I think that it’s another sign of Pope Benedict wanting this local Church to know that he cares about them and that he wants them to be able to make the decisions they need at this time,” Bishop Olmsted said.
By virtue of leading dioceses in two states, he now represents two state Catholic conferences, the Arizona Catholic Conference and the New Mexico Catholic Conference. These two conferences act as the official public policy arm for the Catholic Church in Arizona and New Mexico, respectively.
One of the duties of a bishop is to be with his people, and he is eager to meet the “very rich multi-cultural population” which makes up the Diocese of Gallup.
“It’s beautiful country. From the time I was a tiny child I’ve had a great interest in Native Americans, especially cliff dwellings,” he said, specifying Canyon de Chelly and Chaco Canyon as two spots he would like to visit.
He’s already scheduled to confer the sacrament of confirmation at all of the upcoming ceremonies, which number about a dozen, including some on reservations.
Fr. Lawrence J. O’Keefe, JV, rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral, called Bishop Olmsted “a very pastoral man.” He noted that Bishop Olmsted was coming to Gallup from an area that had ten times the population of Gallup yet he was willing to be generous with his time, including helping out with confessions.
“People have been very impressed with him,” Fr. O’Keefe said.
Of course splitting time between two dioceses means some sacrifices had to be made to his current schedule, with implications for Phoenix and the world.
“The primary thing it will do is limit the time I can actually have with the people here; however, we’re blessed with a very good staff and for that reason I don’t think that it will mean any major interruption in the normal processes for the Diocese of Phoenix,” he said.
While some of the bishop’s previously scheduled meetings will have to be shuffled around his new schedule, perhaps his greatest disappointment is having to back out of next summer’s World Youth Day celebration in Sydney, Australia, which boasts a two-week-long itinerary. He also cancelled a meeting in Rome next May, the busy season for confirmations.
Other challenges faced by this bishop include a lack of personnel resources in New Mexico. The Diocese of Gallup does not have a vocations director, which will be one of his areas of focus, he said.
Currently, they have one seminarian preparing for the priesthood.
“It’s always been a challenge, at least to this point in our history in the United States, to foster vocations among our Native Americans. And at the same time, the faith there is a rich faith,” he said. “At some point we’re going to begin to see some good vocations to the priesthood come from the Native Americans there. Certainly that will be one of my prayers.”
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