In his pastoral letter, Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament, Archbishop Wester called for discussion on nuclear disarmament as a vital step toward peace in our troubled world. He will reflect on the importance of this conversation and its progress since the letter’s publication on January 11, 2022. He will also address concerns that have emerged since January and how they make the conversation even more urgent. He hopes that our country, indeed, the world, will awake from its slumber and come to recognize the need to disarm from nuclear weapons before it is too late. To prepare for the session, he recommends listening to President Kennedy’s “Peace Speech”, at American University on June 10, 1963 (Just Google it!). 

Archbishop Wester was ordained a priest in San Francisco in 1976. After several pastoral assignments, he was ordained a bishop in 1998 and served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco until 2007 when he was installed as Bishop of Salt Lake City. Then, on June 4, 2015 he became Archbishop of Santa Fe. Soon after, he completed a profoundly moving trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.