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ARCHBISHOP ALEX J. BRUNETT
Appointed the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle by Pope John Paul II on October 28, 1997, Archbishop Brunett has provided a tireless spirit of leadership to Catholic education and Catholic schools for nearly a decade.
Born January 17, 1934, in Detroit, Michigan, Alexander Joseph Brunett was the second oldest of fourteen children. The Archbishop attended St. Ambrose Grade School and Sacred Heart Seminary High School in Detroit and studied for the priesthood at Sacred Heart Seminary and at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on July 13, 1958. Thirty-two years later, the title of Monsignor was conferred upon him by Pope John Paul II.
Archbishop Brunett created the Fulcrum Foundation in 2002. A paradigm for access and sustainability in Catholic education, the Fulcrum Foundation has raised $31 million to date toward its goal of $40 million to support tuition assistance for students in need and aid to designated schools. As a measure of the campaign’s success beyond the boundaries of the Catholic community, 25 percent of the donations received to date have come from non-Catholic sources.
Over the past ten years, Archbishop Brunett has opened three new elementary schools and two new high schools, bringing the total number of schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle to 70 (11 high schools and 59 elementary schools).
At the same time, Archbishop Brunett provided direction for the creation of a Kindergarten thru eighth grade Religious Education curriculum currently being implemented throughout the Archdiocese, as well as a comprehensive program of professional development for Catholic school teachers.
In 2006, the Archdiocese of Seattle celebrated 150 years of Catholic education. Not satisfied to rest on the achievements of the past, Archbishop Brunett has directed Archdiocesan school leaders throughout Western Washington to launch a school study designated to guide Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Seattle for many years to come. The study will give direction to Archdiocesan Catholic schools in the areas of Catholic Identity, Academic Excellence, Accessibility, Stewardship and Governance.
For more than 10 years, Archbishop Brunett has provided unparalleled vision and leadership for Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
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National Catholic Educational Association
