Portland's New Catholic Archbishop Has Started on His Homework

By Nancy Haught
The Oregonian
January 29, 2013

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/archdioces_of_portlands_new_ar.html

The Most Rev. Alexander K. Sample laughs during a press conference Tuesday, where he was introduced as successor to the current Archbishop of Portland, the Most Rev. John G. Vlazny.

Though he's known for almost two weeks that he would be the next Archbishop of Portland, Alexander King Sample, 52, has yet to watch his first episode of "Portlandia."

"Maybe it's just as well," he said to a roomful of archdiocesan staff members who were chuckling at his admission.

The bishop of Marquette, Mich., for the past seven years, Sample will succeed Archbishop John G. Vlazny, 75, who plans to retire to Beaverton after his 15 years as leader of Western Oregon's 400,000 Catholics.

"This is the age of Google," Sample said in his first news conference and informal staff meeting at the archdiocesan pastoral center. He said he'd used Google maps to turn St. Mary's Cathedral around on his computer screen and figured out the correct pronunciation of Willamette and Oregon.

He did, however, refer to himself as a "Port-LAND-er." Then again, he's been a Michiganeer since his college days. He was the 12th bishop of Marquette and, after his installation on April 2, will become the 11th archbishop of Portland.

The appointment was formally announced Tuesday by a Vatican spokesman and confirmed by the Archdiocese of Portland and the Diocese of Marquette. Vlazny, who turned 75 on Feb. 2, 2012, submitted his official letter of resignation almost a year ago.

"I pledge to do my very best, with the help of God's grace, to be the shepherd for whom you have been praying," Sample said, referring to a prayer in English, Spanish and Vietnamese that had been posted on the archdiocesan website.

"The most important thing to know about me is that I'm a believer," Sample said. He also read a statement in Spanish and directed comments to Vietnamese, Native Americans and other cultural groups, saying they "enriched" the archdiocese with a "splendid diversity."

Sample, who said he drove through a snow storm as he left Marquette Monday, said he had "roots in the West." He was born in Kalispell, Mont., and graduated from high school in Las Vegas, Nev. He was ordained a priest in 1990 and has been bishop of Marquette for seven years.

Sample earned bachelor's and master's degrees in metallurgical engineering from Michigan Technological University in Houghton. He studied philosophy at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and the Pontifical College Josephinum Seminary in Columbus Ohio.

Vlazny said he plans to move to a retired priests' community in Beaverton and offer Sample help and advice if and when he asks for it.