In 1977, Paul VI appointed Reverend William S. Skylstad of Spokane as the next bishop of Yakima. After 13 years of service as bishop, Skylstad became bishop of Spokane in 1990.[6] He was replaced by Pope John Paul II with Monsignor Francis George in 1990. George was named archbishop of Portland in 1996.[7]
In 2011, Tyson began a migrant ministry program in which every seminarian assists and ministers to migrant workers.[9] This was inspired by the Youth Migrant Project in the Archdiocese of Seattle[10] As of 2014, the diocese had 41 parishes and seven Catholic schools.[1][11]
As of 2024, Tyson is the current bishop of the Diocese of Yakima.
Sex abuse
The Diocese of Yakima in January 2008 agreed to pay $25,000 each to four women who claimed to have been sexually abused by Reverend Michael Simpson. The alleged crimes took place at Saint Aloysius Parish in Toppenish when the plaintiffs were children.[12] In 2005, a woman from Zillah also sued the diocese, claiming sexual abuse by Simpson.[13]
In April 2008, Bishop Sevilla accepted blame for hiring former diocesan seminarian Juan Gonzalez in 2003 to work as a retreat director for the diocese. Gonzalez was being investigated at that time by police in Marion County, Oregon, for viewing child pornography.[14] Sevilla said he knew about the investigation, but hired Gonzalez anyway. After Gonzalez was arrested in Yakima County on an Oregon warrant, Sevilla said he was never notified of the charges. He also acknowledged he never followed up with authorities.[15] The charges later were dropped.[16]
In May 2008, Sevilla admitted that he failed to notify parishioners in the diocese about Reverend Jose Joaquin Estrada Arango, convicted earlier in 2008 of fondling a 14-year-old girl in Oregon. Estrada had worked in four parishes in Yakima between 2001 and 2003.[17]
In 2014, Sevilla testified in a civil lawsuit against the diocese. The plaintiff claimed to have been sexually assaulted in 1999 at age 17 by seminarian Aaron Ramirez at Resurrection Catholic Church in Zillah. The suit alleged that the diocese had been negligent in checking Ramirez's background when he applied to enter the priesthood.[18] Ramirez fled to Mexico after the incident, where he became an Anglican priest. Sevilla did not notify the Mexican Anglican archbishop about Ramirez's alleged crimes until 2005.[19] The Diocese and Resurrection Parish were found not liable for the abuse by a federal judge.[20]
In July 2019, the diocese published a list of 21 priests and deacons with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.[21] In September 2019, the Vatican instructed Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle to investigate Sevilla's Sevilla's handling of sexual abuse cases and to determine if he retaliated against diocesan employees who criticized his actions. In July 2022, Francis released a formal reprimand to Sevilla.[22]
