Early life and education Peter Christensen was born on December 24, 1952, in
Altadena,
California. He was the fourth of eight children; his parents were Robert and Ann (née Forsyth) Christensen. The family later moved to
Palos Verdes, California. Christensen attended
Palos Verdes High School, with interests in becoming a potter. After deciding to become a priest, Christensen in 1981 entered
Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. During his seminary education, he studied in
Israel for a semester. He graduated with a
Master of Divinity degree from Saint Paul Seminary. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Christensen as assistant
pastor of St. Olaf Parish in
Minneapolis. He left St. Olaf in 1989 to become spiritual director of
St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. He was consecrated at the
Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul on September 14, 2007, by Archbishop
Harry Flynn, with Bishops
Raphael Fliss, and
William Bullock serving as co-consecrators.
Bishop of Boise On November 4, 2014,
Pope Francis named Christensen as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Boise. He was installed on December 17, 2014, in the
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise, Idaho. In April 2020, Christensen issued a memo containing orders for diocese priests, including an order banning them from celebrating mass
ad orientem (facing the altar). == Viewpoints ==