PEOPLE
6
of
GOD
February, 2016
Archbishop John C. Wester Announces
New Archdiocesan Leadership
Archbishop John C. Wester’s new leadership team began their new roles effective February 1, 2016. The tri-leadership role is a first for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The two top positions have been replaced with three—two Vicar Generals and one Chancellor. It is not uncommon for two Vicar Generals to serve a diocese. Archbishop Wester made the decision to enable him to serve the 320,000 faithful of the Archdiocese and more efficiently meet their needs. By Celine Baca Radigan Editor, Director of Communications/Media
A
rchbishop John C. Wester has appointed Very Rev. John Daniel, pastor of St. Jude Par-
Vicar General, Vicor of Clergy and Moderator of the Curia
Very Rev. John Daniel
ish in Albuquerque, Vicar General, Vicar of Clergy and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Rev. Msgr. Lambert Luna, pastor of St. Joseph on the Rio Grande, was appointed Archdiocesan Vicar General in 2007 and reappointed to the position in 2015. The role of a vicar general is to assist the diocesan bishop in the governance of the entire diocese. Fr. Daniel said the role is to “…help the archbishop be the shepherd of the archdiocese so he is the one who’s leading the archdiocese.” He said the vicar general’s
pastoral role is to help the archbishop “focus on the salvation of souls and share the Gospel message that we are the people of God.” As Vicar of Clergy, Father Daniel will also attend to the needs of the clergy and the numerous duties day-to day administrative duties at hand so the archbishop can be with the people. This new paradigm is another leadership style that utilizes more people with various skill sets and talents to serve the vast needs of the archdiocese. Archbishop Wester and Archbishop Emeritus Sheehan joined the Catholic Center staff in extending their gratitude to Very
Vicar General
Very Rev. Msgr. Lambert Luna Rev. John Cannon for his five years of ministry as Chancellor, Vicar of Clergy and Moderator of the Curia. He has been named pastor of San Isidro Parish, Santa Fe. LEADERSHIP Continued on page 23