New Seattle archbishop: He won't live in 99-year-old mansion, thinks of selling it

New Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne, 59, doesn't want to live in a mansion and is thinking about selling it. New Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne, 59, doesn't want to live in a mansion and is thinking about selling it. Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New Seattle archbishop: He won't live in 99-year-old mansion, thinks of selling it 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Newly installed Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne, at his first day on the job, told diocesan priests in a letter that he won't live in a 99-year-old mansion on First Hill and will explore the possibility of selling it.

"While the Connolly House has been home to archbishops since 1920, it will not be home to me," Etienne wrote. "The historic mansion serves as a gathering place for many archdiocesan events, but doesn't reflect who I am as an archbishop.

"I prefer to live a more simplified life. We are currently exploring options on church properties and I hope to find an alternative in the next few weeks."

Pope Francis appointed Etienne, a former Anchorage archbishop who has since April 29 been preparing for the job by serving as coadjutor archbishop under Archbishop Paul Sartain. He accepted Sartain's resignation on grounds of health.

The Archdiocese of Seattle has been parched for leadership, and Etienne indicated that is what it will have.

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He will "explore the possibility of selling Connolly House to help fund the great many needs across the archdiocese." The property is zoned for high-rise, so the archdiocese should command a handsome sale price.

Etienne indicated he wants an Archdiocesan Pastoral Council which would reflect the diversity of his diocese, which includes all of Western Washington from the Canadian border to the Columbia River.

"I envision a board of elected and/or appointed officials who will echo the voices of people in their regions," he wrote. "I see value in a body like this, which can provide important views and help shape the evangelization movement."

Sartain served for nearly nine years as Archbishop of Seattle. Unlike his predecessors, the archbishop stayed out of the public square. He did appear annually at the March for Life in Olympia, and cut videos denouncing same-sex marriage when it was on the 2012 ballot.

Predecessors, such as pacifist Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen, have spoken out on a bevy of issues from the death penalty to immigrant rights, even the need to balance conservation with industrial development on the Columbia River.

Etienne gave promise that such tradition will be restored.

"I also recognize the need in this community to hear more from your bishops," he wrote. "You want to know how the Catholic Church is responding to key issues and you want more transparency around the church.

"Transparency is something I'm committed to and will continue to uphold. I will speak out about issues and ensure our community understands our Catholic teachings."

If so, Etienne may need strong walking shoes. Faith community marches from St. Mark's (Episcopal) Cathedral to St. James Cathedral are a Seattle tradition, in response to pending war or mass killings. Auxiliary Bishops Eusbio Elizondo and Daniel Mueggenborg joined an immigrant rights march earlier this year.

Etienne is an Indiana native who formerly served for seven years as Bishop of Wyoming, and then three years in Anchorage.

What he promises is not without precedent. Hunthausen refused to live in the mansion, decamping to what was then St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary in Kenmore.

The Connolly House is named after the late Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly, who served from 1950 to 1975. He was a great builder, but also a disciplinarian. Seminarians and young priests were often summoned to Connolly House to learn the errors of their ways.

Etienne is also promising to develop a "robust pastoral plan," and not simply from the top down.

"My goal is to design a robust plan that doesn't emerge from the Chancery but is created by you and your parishoners," he wrote to the priests. The goal: To "ignite our people and inspire them to lead a Christ-focused life."

It's an ambitious agenda for one of the least "churched" corners of America."