Alexander Joseph Brunett

Styles of Alexander Joseph Brunett
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Alexander Joseph Brunett (born January 17, 1934) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Seattle from 1997 until his retirement in 2010. Brunett previously served as the Bishop of Helena from 1994–1997 and after his retirement he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Oakland, California from 2012–2013.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Brunett was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1958. From 1959–1994 he held several church positions in the Detroit area. In April 1994 he was appointed Bishop of Helena, Montana by Pope John Paul II and was consecrated bishop later that year. He was appointed Archbishop of Seattle in October 1997, and held that office until he reached his mandatory retirement age in 2010. In 2012, Brunett was appointed as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Oakland and held that position until a permanent bishop was installed in 2013.

The second of ten surviving children, Alexander Joseph Brunett was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Raymond Henry and Cecilia Una Mary(née Gill) Brunett; His father was the first Master Plumber in the state of Michigan and completed asixth grade education at St. Charles Grade School in Detroit. His mother was born in Detroit also, but her parents were born in Ireland. They were part of the greater Irish community in Detroit at the beginning of the 20th Century. His uncle and namesake was also a priest. Although four of his sisters entered the Dominican Order, three of them later left that convent to pursue other careers. As a child, Brunett sold copies of The Detroit Times. Entering Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 1946, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree and was valedictorian of his class. He was sent by Edward Cardinal Mooney in 1955 to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology. Brunett was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on July 13, 1958. While in Rome, he was among those selected as an honor guard for the body of Pope Pius XII after his death later that same year.