William S. Skylstad
Encyclopedia
William Stephen Skylstad (born March 2, 1934 in Omak (Methow
) in Okanogan County, Washington) is an American Roman Catholic Bishop. He is Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane
in Washington retiring June 30, 2010. He is a former President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB), having served after Archbishop
Wilton Daniel Gregory of Atlanta, Georgia
and before Cardinal Francis Eugene George, O.M.I., of Chicago, Illinois. Bishop Skylstad was appointed Apostolic Adminstrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker
, in Oregon, effective January 24, 2011, upon the appointment of Bishop Robert F. Vasa
as Coadjutor Bishop
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California
.
in the fjord country of Norway
. He was a Lutheran, but the mother was a devout Catholic from Minnesota
.
At age 14, William Skylstad left home to attend seminary, and was trained for the priesthood at Pontifical College Josephinum
in Worthington, Ohio
. Twelve years later, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Spokane on May 21, 1960. Then-Father Skylstad went on to attend Washington State University
and serve as an assistant pastor in Pullman, Washington
. After that, he was principal of a minor seminary (a type of seminary preparatory high school for boys) in Colbert near Spokane, evaluating student fitness for the priesthood. He also served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Colbert, and sat on a personnel board that counseled the bishop on problem priests. In the summer of 1974 Skylstad became pastor at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, Spokane. In 1976 he was made chancellor of the diocese.
He was appointed Bishop of Yakima
on February 22, 1977 and installed on May 12, 1977, and subsequently appointed fifth Bishop of Spokane on April 17, 1990 and installed on April 27, 1990. Skylstad's appointment as Bishop of Spokane was done to replace the vacancy caused by the resignation of his predecessor, Bishop Lawrence H. Welsh in the wake of an arrest for drunk driving. On June 30, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Skystad.
abandoning its neutral stance on the matter of abortion, and adoption of a policy of furthering abortion as an international human right in certain circumstances. The USCCB made several appeals that such a policy not be applied. In April 2007 the international ledership of AI did so nevertheless. On July 2, 2007, the U.S. Catholic Bishops renewed their earlier appeals to AI. In a statement signed by Bishop Skylstad, the bishops said that AI "trivializes the harm done by abortion. AI’s new policy appears to apply to every stage of pregnancy and has already led AI-USA to oppose laws against the killing of partially-delivered children. Similarly, the policy of advancing access to abortion to preserve women’s ‘health,’ a word left undefined by AI, has not confined the practice to narrow circumstances, but in American law has led to abortion on demand."
At a meeting in Mexico August 11–17, 2007, the International Council of Amnesty International
decided to retain the stance laid down in April. Within days, this was decried by bishop Skylstad on behalf of the USCCB. The statement of August 23, 2007 called the change in the organization’s longstanding position divisive and an affront to "people in many nations, cultures and religions who share a consistent commitment to all human rights".
" controversy, relating to an episode of the Comedy Central
TV series South Park
. In a letter to Viacom
's president and CEO, Tom Freston
he said that the Viacom-controlled network showed "extreme insensitivity" when it aired the episode. When the series was rerun later in the US, the episode involving the Virgin Mary was omitted.
Methow
Methow may refer to:* Methow , a Native American tribe* Methow, Washington* Methow River...
) in Okanogan County, Washington) is an American Roman Catholic Bishop. He is Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane
Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane
The Diocese of Spokane is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Spokane, the diocese encompasses Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties...
in Washington retiring June 30, 2010. He is a former President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
(USCCB), having served after Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Wilton Daniel Gregory of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and before Cardinal Francis Eugene George, O.M.I., of Chicago, Illinois. Bishop Skylstad was appointed Apostolic Adminstrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker
Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker
The Diocese of Baker is a territorial division, or diocese, of the Roman Catholic Church in Eastern Oregon, United States...
, in Oregon, effective January 24, 2011, upon the appointment of Bishop Robert F. Vasa
Robert F. Vasa
Robert Francis Vasa is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. On Monday, January 24, 2011, Bishop Vasa, 59, was named the Coadjutor Bishop , to Bishop Daniel F. Walsh of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California, by the Holy Father, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI...
as Coadjutor Bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California
Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States, named in honor of St. Rose of Lima. It comprises the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and...
.
Biography
The oldest of six children, William Skylstad was born in the Okanogan County town of Omak, delivered on a table in the garage. His father was an apple farmer and Norwegian immigrant. He grew up at a farm in the settlement of Skylstad, east of ÅlesundÅlesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
in the fjord country of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. He was a Lutheran, but the mother was a devout Catholic from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
At age 14, William Skylstad left home to attend seminary, and was trained for the priesthood at Pontifical College Josephinum
Pontifical College Josephinum
The Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year, Roman Catholic liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The seminary prepares its students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Students come...
in Worthington, Ohio
Worthington, Ohio
-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
. Twelve years later, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Spokane on May 21, 1960. Then-Father Skylstad went on to attend Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
and serve as an assistant pastor in Pullman, Washington
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
. After that, he was principal of a minor seminary (a type of seminary preparatory high school for boys) in Colbert near Spokane, evaluating student fitness for the priesthood. He also served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Colbert, and sat on a personnel board that counseled the bishop on problem priests. In the summer of 1974 Skylstad became pastor at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, Spokane. In 1976 he was made chancellor of the diocese.
He was appointed Bishop of Yakima
Roman Catholic Diocese of Yakima
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Yakima is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the central region of the state of Washington in the United States...
on February 22, 1977 and installed on May 12, 1977, and subsequently appointed fifth Bishop of Spokane on April 17, 1990 and installed on April 27, 1990. Skylstad's appointment as Bishop of Spokane was done to replace the vacancy caused by the resignation of his predecessor, Bishop Lawrence H. Welsh in the wake of an arrest for drunk driving. On June 30, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Skystad.
Sex Abuse Crises
Starting in 1974 Skystad had been pastor at a parish where the other priest was Father Patrick O'Donnell. It was later alleged by some of O'Donnell's victims that they had informed then-Father Skylstad in the 1970s that they were being abused by Father O'Donnell.USCCB offices held
After having served as the Vice President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) since 2001, Bishop Skylstad was elected to a three-year term as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on 15 November 2004.Amnesty International Abortion Policy change
During the years when the USCCB had Bishop Skylstad at the helm, the conference was confronted by the prospect of Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
abandoning its neutral stance on the matter of abortion, and adoption of a policy of furthering abortion as an international human right in certain circumstances. The USCCB made several appeals that such a policy not be applied. In April 2007 the international ledership of AI did so nevertheless. On July 2, 2007, the U.S. Catholic Bishops renewed their earlier appeals to AI. In a statement signed by Bishop Skylstad, the bishops said that AI "trivializes the harm done by abortion. AI’s new policy appears to apply to every stage of pregnancy and has already led AI-USA to oppose laws against the killing of partially-delivered children. Similarly, the policy of advancing access to abortion to preserve women’s ‘health,’ a word left undefined by AI, has not confined the practice to narrow circumstances, but in American law has led to abortion on demand."
At a meeting in Mexico August 11–17, 2007, the International Council of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
decided to retain the stance laid down in April. Within days, this was decried by bishop Skylstad on behalf of the USCCB. The statement of August 23, 2007 called the change in the organization’s longstanding position divisive and an affront to "people in many nations, cultures and religions who share a consistent commitment to all human rights".
"Bloody Mary" Controversy
In 2006, Bishop William S. Skylstad weighed in on the "Bloody MaryBloody Mary (South Park)
"Bloody Mary" is the fourteenth episode of the ninth season of the series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 7, 2005. In the episode, Randy drives drunk and loses his driver's license. He then forced to go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where he...
" controversy, relating to an episode of the Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
TV series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. In a letter to Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
's president and CEO, Tom Freston
Tom Freston
Thomas E. Freston is an American entertainment industry executive. He currently is a principal in Firefly3 LLC, a consulting and investment company. Currently he consults Oprah Winfrey, among others....
he said that the Viacom-controlled network showed "extreme insensitivity" when it aired the episode. When the series was rerun later in the US, the episode involving the Virgin Mary was omitted.