For nearly 15 years, Bishop William Weigand has been the public face of the local Catholic church: the spiritual leader who took on a governor over abortion, answered questions about the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and oversaw the renovation of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

This week, Weigand will announce to the Catholic faithful that he is ready to step down. He has asked Pope Benedict XVI for permission to retire. If his request is granted – and he expects it will be – Weigand's last day as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento will be Nov. 30.

In a Mass at the Cathedral, he will hand his shepherd's staff to his successor, Jaime Soto, who has served as co-adjutor bishop since November.

Weigand, 71, said his age, health and the knowledge that he leaves the diocese in good hands led to his decision.

"I've been at this very taxing ministry for 28 years. I'm just kind of worn out," said Weigand in his office at the pastoral center last week. "I haven't run out of ideas. I just don't have the energy."

Weigand headed the diocese during a time of turmoil for the church and for him personally. Shortly before he came to Sacramento, he was diagnosed with a terminal liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Despite his health, Weigand put all his energy into his work. He is regarded as a hardworking bishop with strong administrative skills who is not afraid to speak his mind.

In 2004, Weigand publicly asked Gov. Gray Davis to "have the integrity" to stop receiving Communion until he changed his stance on abortion. The bishop was criticized for mixing church and state.

During Weigand's tenure, the diocese more than doubled and now serves nearly 900,000 Catholics, many of them immigrants, according to diocesan officials. The diocese stretches from Sacramento County to the Oregon border.

Weigand met the demands of the growing diocese by emphasizing vocations to the priesthood and opening the area's first Catholic university, the University of Sacramento, and Cristo Rey High School. He held the first diocesan synod, a meeting to assess parishioner needs, in 75 years.

The bishop oversaw the most extensive – and at $34 million, the costliest – renovation of the then 116-year-old cathedral.

All of this paled, however, compared with the biggest crisis of his tenure.

Weigand said he was shocked and saddened by the clergy sexual abuse scandal that erupted in Boston in 2002. Soon, other dioceses were having to redress issues stemming from their own problem priests. In June 2005, the Sacramento diocese paid $35 million to settle 33 claims.

Weigand said he felt bad that there was "so much hurt and pain." At the same time, he was frustrated "because it wasn't directly dealing with the Gospel and preaching the good news." The diocese is beginning to recover financially, he said.

Victim rights groups have criticized Weigand for not doing enough for victims and for not punishing abusive priests. But others said he did what he could.

"He took us through the most serious crisis in the history of the American Catholic Church – the sexual abuse crisis – and we have come through it better than most," said the Rev. James Murphy of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He is currently on leave in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Murphy added, "Many of the changes he made will last well beyond his lifetime because they were institutional."

Weigand also dealt with a health crisis. In January 2004, he disclosed to The Bee that he needed a liver transplant.

In April 2005, Dan Haverty, now the fire chief of Folsom, donated most of his liver to Weigand. The two men barely knew each other but have become good friends.

"I like him as a friend and have total respect for him as a man of Christ," said Haverty. "He lives his life the way he preaches."

Haverty and hundreds of others will watch Weigand at the Nov. 30 Mass, which also marks Weigand's 28th year as a bishop. He formerly served in Salt Lake City.

During the ceremony, Weigand's coat of arms, which reads "Feed My Lambs," will be replaced on the bishop's chair with Soto's, "Gozo y Esperanza" (Joy and Hope.)

The first six months of his retirement, Weigand will camp in a new trailer, working on his family genealogy, and writing his reflections.

Weigand, who has not been feeling well for the past year, said he is feeling better and he's ready to hit the road.

For the first time in more than a decade, he won't feel the weight of the diocese on his shoulders. He is looking forward to returning to private life.

"I can't wait," he said.

Call the Bee's Jennifer Garza, (916) 321-1133.