The Archdiocese of San Francisco

Office of the Archbishop

One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA  94109-6601 

Statement of Archbishop George Niederauer

on the appointment of Bishop-elect William Justice
 

Thursday, April, 10, 2008

It is a joy for me to announce that our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Father William Justice as Titular Bishop of Matara di Proconsolare and Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco.  Bishop-elect Justice has served as a priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco since his ordination in 1968.  He was assigned as Parochial Vicar in St. John the Evangelist, All Souls and St. Paul Parishes.  In 1979 he was appointed Director of the Office for the Permanent Diaconate, and in 1982 began to serve as Secretary of Pastoral Ministry at the Chancery.  Bishop-elect Justice was Pastor of St. Peter Parish (1985-91), All Souls Parish (1991-2003), and Mission Dolores Parish (2003-2007).  In March, 2007, he was appointed Vicar for Clergy for the Archdiocese, to succeed Bishop John Wester, whom Pope Benedict XVI appointed as Bishop of Salt Lake City.

Bishop-elect Justice was born May 8, 1942, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and his family moved to San Mateo in 1946.  He attended elementary school in St. Matthew Parish and St. Gregory Parish.  After graduating from Junipero Serra High School in 1960, he entered the seminary, first at St. Joseph College, Mountain View, and later St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park.  Our newly appointed bishop has a Master of Divinity degree from Saint Patrick Seminary and a Master of Applied Spirituality Degree from the University of San Francisco.

While every bishop serves in a local church, he also serves the universal Church as a member of the Apostolic College of Bishops.  Bishop-elect Justice will also take his place as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, attending national meetings and participating in the work of various offices and committees.  Our new bishop-elect will bring to his Episcopal duties the pastoral experience, generous heart and wise judgment for which he is known among the clergy, religious and laity of the Archdiocese.  His fluency in the Spanish language is a particularly fruitful resource for his new apostolic ministry.

We happily look forward to the ordination of Bishop-elect William Justice on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. in St. Mary’s Cathedral.  On behalf of Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Wang, and the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, I gratefully thank our Holy Father for this appointment, and I congratulate our new Bishop-elect William Justice and assure him of our prayers and support for his ministry among us as Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco.    

+ The Most Reverend George Hugh Niederauer

Archbishop of San Francisco