An auxiliary bishop of the Seattle Archdiocese has been named the new
bishop of the Yakima Diocese, which covers seven counties in central
Washington, the Catholic Church announced Tuesday.
The move marks a return to the region for the Most Rev. Joseph J.
Tyson, who was born in Moses Lake and baptized at St. Paul Cathedral in
Yakima.
He grew up in Seattle but visited the Yakima area often to spend
time with his grandparents.
"It's just a real, real pleasure - a real blessing - to receive this
naming," Tyson said. "I'm just thrilled to be coming back to central
Washington."
Tyson, 53, was ordained in 1989 and served parishes in Bellevue,
Monroe and Seattle. He has been auxiliary bishop in Seattle since 2005.
In that role, he oversees about 23,000 students as superintendent of
Archdiocesan Catholic Schools.
Tyson said at a news conference at Holy Family Parish that he plans
to spend his first year getting to know the priests and understanding
the challenges in a region that has changed since he spent time here has
a child.
The Yakima Diocese serves 80,000 Catholics in Yakima, Benton, Chelan,
Douglas, Grant, Kittitas and Klickitat counties.
In recent years, the
number of Hispanic parishioners has grown as farmworkers settled in the
region.
In addition to his native English, Tyson speaks Spanish and German,
as well as some Serbo-Croatian and Vietnamese.
In south Seattle, he
spent nine years as pastor of a cluster of three culturally diverse
parishes where 37 languages were spoken.
Tyson said he traveled to places such as the Philippines and Vietnam
to better understand the roots of his parishioners and priests.
He also
has visited various parts of Mexico and hopes to continue those travels.
About 50 people, many of them priests in the region, attended the
news conference. They included Father Tom Kuykendall of St Joseph's
Parish in Wenatchee, who said he believed Tyson would be a good fit for
the region.
The priests in central Washington's parishes have a very positive
working relationship, Kuykendall said, but other struggles remain.
"There are financial pressures in many of the parishes, and I know
the diocese is struggling," he said. "We also face a shortage of
priests."
Tyson earned bachelor's degrees in journalism, Russian and East
European studies and a master's degree in international relations at the
University of Washington.
He completed his theology studies at Catholic
University of America in Washington, D.C.
Tyson succeeds the Most Rev. Carlos A. Sevilla, who has been Yakima
bishop since 1997.
Sevilla submitted his resignation letter last year
upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Sevilla told Tyson he would find in his priests brothers and true friends who work hard and are devoted to their parishioners.
"I know that your time here will fill you with joy and great satisfaction," he said.
The Yakima Diocese said Sevilla plans to remain in the diocese and
will be active in giving spiritual direction, leading retreats and
filling in for priests.