Archbishop Wester entered the seminary in the eighth grade. He went on to attend Saint Joseph College, in Mountain View, Calif. (1968), and earn a bachelor’s degree (1972) from Saint Patrick College, in Mountain View, Calif. He holds a Master of Divinity (1976) from St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif., and a master’s degree in spirituality (1984) from the University of San Francisco, and a master’s degree (1993) from Holy Names College, in Oakland, Calif.
Ministry
• He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on May 15, 1976. Following ordination, he held numerous assignments, including associate pastor of Saint Raphael Parish in San Rafael, Calif. (1976-1979). He served as faculty member, then director of campus ministry, and president of Marin Catholic High School, in Kentfield, Calif. (1979-1986). He was appointed assistant superintendent for high schools for the Archdiocese of San Francisco (1986-1988), and administrative assistant to Archbishop John R. Quinn (1988-1993). From 1993 to 1997 he was pastor of St. Stephen Parish in San Francisco. He was appointed vicar for clergy in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1997, a position he held for 10 years.
• In 1997, Pope John Paul II named him a Prelate of Honor with the title Monsignor.
• On Sept. 18, 1998, he was ordained auxiliary bishop of San Francisco and appointed vicar general. From 2005-2006, Bishop Wester served as the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese.
• On Jan. 8, 2007, he was named the ninth bishop of Salt Lake City and was installed on March 14, 2007.
• His Episcopal motto is “Abide in Christ.”
• On April 27, 2015 he was named Archbishop of Santa Fe.