Pope Names Portland Archdiocese Priest Bishop Of Baker, Oregon

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has named64-year-old Father Liam Stephen Cary, pastor of St. Mary Church in Eugene,Oregon, as bishop of the Diocese of Baker, Oregon.

The appointment was publicized inWashington, March 8, by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to theUnited States.

Bishop-elect Cary succeeds BishopRobert Vasa, who was named co-adjutor bishop of Santa Rosa, California, inJanuary 2011, and became Bishop of Santa Rosa the following June. BishopWilliam Skylstad, retired bishop of Spokane, Washington, has been apostolicadministrator of the Baker Diocese since Bishop Vasa was named to Santa Rosa.

LiamStephen Cary was born August 21, 1947, in Prineville, Oregon. He studied forthe priesthood at North American College, Rome, and earned a bachelor’s degreeand a licentiate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.

Hewas ordained for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon in 1992.

Assignments after ordinationincluded parochial vicar, St. Joseph Parish, Salem, Oregon, 1992-1995;archdiocesan vocation director, 1995-1999; pastor, Sacred Heart Parish,1999-2011; and pastor, St. Mary Church, Eugene, Oregon, 2011-present.

The Baker Diocese includes almost67,000 square miles in Oregon and has a population of 526,760 people, of whom34,375, or seven percent, are Catholic.

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