Merging of the metropolitan archdiocese of Anchorage with the diocese of Juneau, U.S.A., erection of the new ecclesiastical circumscription of Anchorage-Juneau, U.S.A., and appointment of the first metropolitan archbishop

The Holy Father has provided for the merging of the archdiocese of Anchorage with the diocese of Juneau, United States of America, and has at the same time appointed Bishop Andrew Eugene Bellisario, C.M., bishop of Juneau and apostolic administrator of Anchorage, as first metropolitan archbishop of the new metropolitan see.

Archbishop-elect Andrew Eugene Bellisario, C.M.

Archbishop-elect Andrew Eugene Bellisario, C.M., was born on 19 December 1956 in Los Angeles, California, in the archdiocese of the same name. After attending Saint Stephen Elementary School in Monterey Park (1963-1971), and the Saint Vincent minor seminary in Montebello (1971-1975), he entered the Congregation of the Mission in Santa Barbara (1975). He carried out his studies in philosophy at the Saint Mary Seminary in Perryville, Missouri (1976-1980) and in theology at the DeAndreis Seminary in Lemont, Illinois (1980-1984).

He was ordained a priest on 16 June 1984 for the Congregation of the Mission at Saint Vincent’s Parish in Los Angeles.

Since priestly ordination he has held the following roles: dean of students at the Saint Vincent minor seminary in Montebello, California (1984-1986); parish vicar (1986-1989) and parish administrator (1989-1990) of the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish in Montebello; parish priest of the Saint Vincent de Paul parish in Huntington Beach, California (1990-1995) and of the Sacred Heart parish in Patterson, California (1995-1998); bursar and consulter of the province (1996-2002); director of the De Paul Evangelization Center in Montebello (1998-2002); superior of the De Paul Center Residence in Montebello (2001-2002); provincial (2002-2010); director of the Daughters of Charity in Los Altos, California (2003-2015); parish priest of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Concathedral in Anchorage, Alaska (2014-2017); and superior of the International Missions in Alaska (2015-2017).

Appointed as bishop of Juneau on 11 July 2017, he received episcopal consecration the following 10 October.

On 7 June 2019 he was appointed as apostolic administrator of Anchorage.

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The main statistics of the new metropolitan archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau are the following:

Area: 320.932 km2.

Population: 563.372

Catholics: 55.297

Parishes: 32

Missionary stations: 14

Diocesan priests: 34

Religious priests: 13

Permanent deacons: 33

Major seminarians: 4

Men religious: 14

Women religious: 23

Educational institutions: 8

Charitable institutions: 10

Baptisms: 438