Seattle Archdiocese

Pastor: Pastor: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Bothell, since 2001; master of novices for his order 12 years in Long Beach, Calif., and two years pastor in Oxnard, Calif.

Bishop-elect
Joseph J. Tyson

Born: Moses Lake, 1957

Education: Bishop Blanchet High School 1975, University of Washington, bachelors degrees in Russian and Eastern European Area Studies,1980; master’s degree in international relations,1984; masters in divinity, The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C, 1989

Ordained 1989 for the Archdiocese of Seattle

Pastor: St. Edward, St. George, St. Paul parishes, Seattle; previously served at St. Louise Parish, Bellevue and St. Mary of the Valley Parish in Monroe.

BISHOP-ELECT ELIZONDO, a native of Mexico and the archdiocese’s first Hispanic bishop, said part of his role in assisting the archbishop will be in ministry to Western Washington’s growing Hispanic community. He speaks Spanish, English, Italian and some French.

Though the year is not yet half over, 2005 already has been a momentous one for the 50-year-old priest. Two months ago he became an American citizen. Two weeks ago he was summoned to the archbishop’s residence thinking they were going to discuss his order, the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, of which he is provincial vicar.

“I thought it was going to be something about the order – asking for more priests to come to the archdiocese or something like that,” the bishop-elect said. Instead, he said the archbishop shared the news that the Holy Father had answered his long-sought petition for two auxiliary bishops.

“I said, ‘Well, congratulations,’” the bishop-elect recalled, not knowing that his name had been one of the two submitted.

The archbishop continued: ‘One of the names is yours.’

“I was very much in shock and surprise,” Bishop-elect Elizondo said last week. “I’m very happy and very honored and privileged to have this kind of a ministry, though I’m very much overwhelmed and in a way kind of scared.”

But he added that his trust in the Holy Spirit, in everyone’s prayers, and in the archbishop’s trust in him will see him through.

With his appointment, Bishop-elect Elizondo joins two other bishops from his order currently serving in the U.S.

The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, which now numbers approximately 600 priests and brothers serving in Mexico, the U.S., Europe and Central and South America, was founded in Mexico City on Christmas Day, 1914 by Father Felix Rougier, a French priest. Their mission is to provide spiritual direction to priests and women religious, and to expand the kingdom of the Holy Spirit and encourage people to be holy.

After 18 years ministering in the U.S., he figures he has pretty well adapted to the U.S. parish, which he says is much more structured and organized in comparison to a Mexican parish.

In his faith life, he has a deep devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and to the celebration of the Eucharist.

For recreation, he plays guitar and sings, everything from Country Western to folk music.

He also enjoys playing soccer and mountain hiking.

BISHOP-ELECT TYSON exemplifies the phrase “if you want something done, give it to a busy man.”

For the past eight years, he has been the pastor of three parishes – each with their own school – in southeast Seattle. In addition, he has assisted chancery offices in the area of permanent deacon formation, parish experiences for seminarians, vocations and communications. He is a strong supporter of Catholic schools and has been deeply involved in the Rainbow Schools program within south Seattle.

He is a devoted cyclist – both for exercise and for transportation. It was on a bike ride May 3 when a call came to his cell phone from Archbishop Alex J. Brunett asked him to come to see him the next day.

“Wednesday is when I found out that I’d been selected, along with Bishop- elect Eusebio Elizondo, he said. “Needless to say, it came as quite a shock to both of us. Walking back to our parked cars, we talked abut how our lives had been changed forever and would never be the same again,” bishop-elect Tyson said.

Bishop-elect Tyson said he is to serve as an extension of the ministry of the archbishop.

“I put my gifts—as they are – on the table for him to use,” he said.

Among them are languages: Spanish, German, several Filipino dialogues and Vietnamese as a work in progress.

At this point, the bishop-elect said, he will remain pastor of the three parishes.

“I’m grateful the archbishop has allowed me to remain pastor here in south Seattle,” he said to his parishioners last weekend. “I’m also grateful that I can continue remaining in the St. Edward rectory community where we share common prayer and common meals,” he said.

Bishop-elect Tyson said he would still be leading the delegation of the parishes’ high school youth to the World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany this summer.