Growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles, Father Andrew Bellisario has found that Alaska’s wild landscapes and bevy of outdoor activities are a bit “foreign” to him.
Bellisario, who was named the newest bishop of the Juneau Diocese on Tuesday, came to Anchorage in 2015 and has quickly developed an affinity for the way Alaskans respond to that wildness.
“It’s a harsh climate and it’s not the easiest to get around with the snow and with the isolation and no roads, etcetera,” Bellisario said during a Tuesday press conference. “Oftentimes, it seems to me that some people are in need and need some help. People have a sense of reaching out to one another and helping. I think that sense of goodwill is present in all of Alaska, in the places I’ve been.”
Juneau’s previous bishop, Edward Burns, departed for Dallas in February, making this a fairly quick search process. Bellisario’s selection comes straight from The Vatican, where Pope Francis and his staff handle transfers between dioceses in the Catholic church.
[Juneau’s Catholic bishop is Dallas-bound]
Bellisario, who has served as the Superior of the International Mission of the Vincentians in Alaska as well as a pastor in Anchorage since 2015, received the call two weeks ago and said he could hardly breathe from excitement. Bellisario believes that The Vatican selected him for this position based on his administrative experience as much as his pastoral services.
Being a Superior in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Alaska, one of Bellisario’s focuses is on public service. Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — referred to as Vincentians — express their faith through outreach, working extensively with those in need. During the past couple years in Anchorage, Bellisario and fellow Vincentians have approached homelessness by going out into the community and communicating with those in need.
Juneau has the highest rate of homelessness in the state, according to a recent study, and the Diocese of Juneau is one of many organizations that is fighting the rise in homelessness. Southeast Alaska’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul has existed for 30 years, and the Diocese of Juneau has worked closely with the organization and others.
Bellisario has already met with the head of the society, and hopes to learn more about how to address the issue soon.
“Homelessness is something where we have to have that soft spot in our heart. It is the mission of the church, and we need to reach out,” Bellisario said. “Exactly how we’re going to do that, we’ll discover more over time.”
For the most part, his career has been spent in California, holding positions at St. Vincent’s Seminary in Montebello, California and serving as the Director of the Daughters of Charity (another Vincentian charity organization) in Los Altos Hills, California, from 2003-2015.
Bellisario, who had never been to Juneau before this visit, begins his tenure as bishop in October. Until then, Father Pat Travers will continue to be the Diocesan Administrator. Travers, whose parish is in Ketchikan, has been filling that role since Burns left earlier this year. Following his introductory press conference Tuesday morning, Bellisario led mass and was able to meet with deacons and other locals.
Burns and Bellisario spoke on the phone Sunday, with Burns giving Bellisario some pointers about the area and the ins and outs of the Diocese. Bellisario hopes that parishioners in Juneau have the same natural hospitality and goodwill as those he’s met in Anchorage.
“When people ask me, ‘What do you like about Alaska?’ I say, ‘The people,’” Bellisaro said. “I tell everybody.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com.
