Steven Maekawa

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Steven John Maekawa

O.P.
Bishop of Fairbanks
DioceseFairbanks
AppointedJuly 11, 2023
InstalledOctober 12, 2023
PredecessorChad Zielinski
Orders
OrdinationMay 29, 1998
by John Stephen Cummins
ConsecrationOctober 12, 2023
by Andrew E. Bellisario, Michael C. Barber and Chad Zielinski
Personal details
Born (1967-11-22) November 22, 1967 (age 56)
Seattle, Washington, US
MottoDuc In Altum
(Put out into the deep)
Styles of
Steven John Maekawa
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Steven John Maekawa, OP (November 22, 1967 - ) is an American prelate and Dominican friar of the Catholic Church who serves as bishop for the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska. At the time of his appointment, he was serving as a priest in the Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau, where he served as the pastor of Holy Family Old Cathedral.

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Steven Maekawa was born on November 22, 1967, in Seattle, Washington, to Don and Kiyo Maekawa. He has two sisters and one brother. While attending the University of Washington, his conversations with Dominican friars convinced him to enter their religious order.[1][2]

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture in 1990,[3] Maekawa entered the Dominican Order. Having completed the novitiate, he professed his first vows on September 14, 1991. In 1998 Maekawa received a Master of Divinity degree from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California.[4][5][1]

Priesthood[edit]

Maekawa was ordained a priest on May 29, 1998 at St. Augustine Church in Oakland, California for the Diocese of Oakland by Bishop John Cummins.[4][5][6] After his ordination, the Dominicans assigned Maekawa as a priest at St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco, California. In 2002, he was named director of the Newman Center at the University of Washington. Maekawa returned to San Francisco in 2005 to become prior of St. Dominic Priory Novitiate in San Francisco. He would serve as prior from 2005 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2015[4]

In 2007, the Dominicans appointed Maekawa as the vocations director for the Western Province of the Dominicans. From 2001 to 2011, in several deployments in between his other positions, Maekawa served as a reserve chaplain the US Navy Chaplain Corps. He went to Afghanistan in 2004 in Operation Enduring Freedom, working with the US Army 25th Infantry Division. He was awarded a medal for his active duty service.[7][1]

The Dominicans in 2016 assigned Maekawa as pastor of Holy Family Old Cathedral in Anchorage, where he would stay for the next seven years.[7][1] While at Holy Family, he created an outreach program for Yupik and Inuit communities in wilderness areas of Alaska.[8]

Bishop of Fairbanks[edit]

Pope Francis appointed Maekawa as bishop of Fairbanks on July 11, 2023.[9][10] He was consecrated on October 12, 2023 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks by Archbishop Andrew Bellisario, with Bishops Chad Zielinski and Michael Barber serving as co-consecrators.[6]

Within the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Maekawa is a member of the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Bishop Steven J. Maekawa, O.P." Diocese of Fairbanks. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Pope Francis names Dominican priest and former military chaplain as Alaska's next bishop". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  3. ^ Davidson, Joel (2016-06-09). "New Dominican priests headed to Alaska". Alaska News. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  4. ^ a b c "Pope names Dominican priest serving in Anchorage, Alaska, as new bishop of Fairbanks". The Central Minnesota Catholic. 2023-07-12. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  5. ^ a b "Holy Family Old Cathedral Bulletin" (PDF). Holy Family Old Cathedral Church. 28 May 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Bishop Steven John Maekawa [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  7. ^ a b Davidson, Joel (2023-07-14). "Pope Francis taps decorated military chaplain as next bishop of Fairbanks". Alaska Watchman. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  8. ^ "In Fairbanks, being bishop means duffel bags, snowmobiles and sleeping on floors". Crux. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  9. ^ "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  10. ^ "Pope Francis Names Father Steven Maekawa, O.P., as Bishop of Fairbanks". Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Who We Are | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 2024-01-03.


External links[edit]

Episcopal succession[edit]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Fairbanks
2023-Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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