Bishop Barber congratulates Bishop-elect Dominican father Steven Maekawa

Bishop Barber issued the following statement on the announcement of Pope Francis appointing Father Steven Maekawa, O.P., a priest of the Dominican Province of the Holy Name of Jesus, Western Province, Oakland, California, and current pastor of Holy Family Old Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska, as the new Bishop of Fairbanks.

"The Diocese of Oakland applauds the appointment of Father Steven Maekawa, O.P. as the new bishop of Fairbanks. Bishop-elect Steven is a member of the Western Dominican Province, headquartered in Oakland, and completed his philosophy and theology studies for the priesthood at the DSPT in Berkeley.  I had the honor of administering the oath of office to him as a naval officer and chaplain in the early 2000’s, and look forward to participating as one of his co-consecrators as bishop in October. Pope Pius XII described Northern Alaska as ‘The most difficult mission in the world.’ I admire Father Maekawa’s courage and sacrifice in accepting this appointment for the greater glory of God and the care of the faithful of Northern Alaska, and all of us in the Diocese of Oakland promise him our prayers and support.”

Father Maekawa was born Nov. 22, 1967, in Washington. He received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Washington in 1990, and a master of divinity in 1998 from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkley, California. He took his profession of vows for the Order of Preachers, a religious order, on Sept. 14, 1991, in the Dominican Province of the Holy Name of Jesus, Western Province, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1998 at St. Augustine Church in Oakland, CA.

Bishop-elect Maekawa’s pastoral assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at St. Dominic Church in San Francisco, 1998-2002; director of the Newman Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, 2002-2005; prior at St. Dominic Priory (Novitiate) in San Francisco, 2005-2007 and 2012-2016; and director of vocations for the Western Dominican Province, 2007-2015. Since 2016, he has served as pastor at Holy Family Old Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska.

Bishop-elect Maekawa’s ministries for the Dominican Province & Commissions include: member of the Provincial Vocations Commission, 1999-2003; member of the Provincial Council, 2003-2007 and 2015-present; member of the Sexual Misconduct Advisory Group, 2003-2007; member of the Provincial Formation Council, 2005-2016; and chair of the Provincial Vocations Commission, 2007-2015.

Bishop-elect Maekawa also served as chaplain in the U.S. Navy Reserve: 14th Marines, 2001-2002; Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, 2002-2005; assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, 2004; 23rd Marine Regiment, 2005-2006; and 2nd Battalion 23rd Marines, 2007. He was awarded a special medal in active duty, 2009-2011.

Bishop-elect Maekawa speaks English and Spanish.

The Diocese of Fairbanks is comprised of 409,849 square miles in the State of Alaska and has a total population of 164,025, of which 11,876 are Catholic.