Honolulu, Hawaii, Jan 27, 2011 / 08:00 am
Bishop Larry R. Silva of Honolulu, Hawaii says he was “shocked and extremely disappointed” to discover that his second-in-command at the diocese, Fr. Marc Alexander, was leaving his ministry for a post he had already accepted in the administration of Governor Neil Abercrombie.
“He was a well respected priest,” Bishop Silva told CNA on Jan. 26. “This news has been quite devastating to many.”
Fr. Alexander, who had served as a diocesan priest for 25 years, told Bishop Silva on Jan. 16 that he had lined up a job as the governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, and would be leaving the responsibilities he had taken on during the past five years as Bishop Silva's Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.
The priest had submitted his resume through the governor's transition website and was hired. While acknowledging the change as “shocking” and “not something that happens every day,” Fr. Alexander told reporters on Jan. 20 that he had felt called “in a different direction.” He mentioned that he had long considered leaving the priesthood, saying he believed Bishop Silva would understand.