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	Bishop from Juneau to Lead Great Falls-Billings Diocese By Steve Quinn Helena Independent November 21, 2007 http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/11/21/ap-state-mt/d8t1obbg0.txt JUNEAU, Alaska - A man who once took a crash course in Spanish so he could perform a baptism will become the bishop to the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings in Montana. The Vatican announced Tuesday that Bishop Michael W. Warfel, of the Diocese of Juneau, will take over in Montana early next year after spending 11 years in Southeast Alaska. "Alaska has been very much a part of what I envisioned in a priesthood location," Warfel said. "I will miss life in Alaska," he said. "At the same time, I'm excited to be doing something different and going someplace where I can be of service." While in Juneau, Warfel became known as a gregarious outdoorsman as much as a spiritual leader who could make tough decisions such as those he occasionally faced when priests were accused of sexual molestation. He's a war veteran, a blue-collar worker, and a music lover whose clergy work started in Alaska, but has also taken him to Mexico and South America. "His life has made him sensitive to the way people live and the things they need in a variety of ways," said retired Archbishop Francis Hurley, who ordained Warfel to be a deacon, then a priest and eventually a bishop. Warfel first came to Alaska in the late 1970s for summertime visits to his family while he studied to be a priest in Cincinnati. Enthralled by the state's beauty and wildlife, he eventually became ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Anchorage in 1980. An avid hiker whose legs have taken him to mountain tops throughout the state, the 59-year-old Warfel replaces Bishop Anthony M. Milone, who resigned last year for health reasons. Warfel once backpacked the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail in 2000, following the steep and rocky route taken by thousands of prospectors during the Klondike Gold rush of the late 1800s. Jim Donaghey, diocese business manager, said he'll miss the rigorous hikes he would take with Warfel. They hiked Mount Blanc, traveling through France, Italy and Switzerland. They hiked Washington's Mount Rainier. Donaghey said he always got a kick out of seeing the reaction of people they met during their treks when they learned what Warfel did for a living. They never expected a bishop. "A lot of people are drawn to him," Donaghey said. "He's very outgoing, very friendly." Before coming to Juneau in December 1996, Warfel served as an associated pastor or pastor in four Alaska churches. One of those assignments took him to St. Mary's Parish in Kodiak. There he was asked to perform a baptism by a young Spanish speaking couple who understood very little English. So, Warfel decided it was incumbent upon him to learn enough Spanish to serve the couple and their child. Afterward, he went on to become fluent in the second language. "That's a significant moment in a person's life," he said. "A normal part of being a Catholic priest is being responsive to the needs of people." After working in Kodiak, Warfel become the diocese's fourth bishop in Juneau, responsible for the southeast region made up of a series of islands with only two towns _ Haines and Skagway _ connected to the state by a road. Population for a region made up of government workers, fishermen, loggers and tourism workers, is about 70,000. Of those, 6,000 are Catholic, making the Juneau Diocese among the smallest in the United States. This small setting enabled Warfel to be highly visible at times either in the church or on the hundreds of hiking paths in the area. Being the region's highest ranking cleric doesn't mean being tucked away in an office like a company CEO, Warfel said. "Being a priest and being a bishop has been about being in contact with people," Warfel said. "It means being with them in times of celebration and though the midst of suffering. "It's about being involved with their lives and helping them grow into their faith, get through problems of life and help them with the spiritual dimension of life." Warfel also had to tackle the same issue that surfaced in much larger dioceses, the issue of sexual abuse in the church. Last year, Warfel notified the Vatican that there was sufficient evidence that former priest Michael Patrick Nash had sexually abused minors. "That's probably the most difficult matter any bishop has been involved in," Hurley said. "He's not afraid to make decisions," he said. "More than that, he's not afraid to live with decisions after he's made them." Warfel's transition begins Jan. 16 when he'll be formally installed at Holy Spirit Church in Great Falls. The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings serves more than 51,000 Catholics in 66 parishes and 44 missions in the eastern two-thirds of the state. Warfel joined the priesthood after military duty in Vietnam and a brief stint as a factory worker. He grew up in Elkhart, Ind., and studied music at Indiana University before enlisting in the Army in 1967. Warfel served 18 months in Vietnam before completing his duty in Korea.
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