Archbishop Gomez 'deeply grateful' for Los Angeles appointment

Los Angeles, Calif., Apr 6, 2010 / 11:50 am (EWTN News/CNA)

Following the Vatican's announcement of his new appointment this morning, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez says that he is “deeply grateful” for being named the Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles, California, the largest diocese in the United States.

Archbishop Gomez currently serves as archbishop of San Antonio, Texas and will now serve alongside Cardinal Roger Mahony in L.A., taking his position when he retires on February 27, 2011.

Archbishop Gomez's remarks for a press conference at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels were published ahead of the event. In those comments he says, “words cannot fully describe my feelings” but “I am very grateful to the Holy Father for giving me this opportunity to serve the Church with a mentor and leader like Cardinal Roger Mahony.”

“I’m especially grateful – very deeply grateful – to Cardinal Mahony himself and to my brother bishops, priests and deacons here in Los Angeles, for the warmth and good will they’ve shown me since learning of my appointment,” he adds.

“After I received the news of my appointment,” Archbishop Gomez recalls, “I went to the Chapel to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. I asked for the grace to be generous and to give myself totally to God’s call. But I also asked for the strength to accept this new task, which is undoubtedly overwhelming. My only consolation is the fact that God is calling me and He is merciful and will help me to be faithful and to serve His people in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.”

“I’ll never forget that as I finished my phone conversation with Archbishop Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, the first thing I saw was a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the hallway and, as it has happened in every moment of my ministry, I felt Her love and protection,” he notes. “To Mary of Guadalupe, I would like to entrust my new ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.”

Speaking on the difficulty of relocating, Archbishop Gomez says, “I’m sad to be leaving San Antonio. I was born in Mexico, my sisters still live there, and I’m very proud of the Mexican love for life and family and faith that first turned my heart toward God. But my mother grew up in San Antonio and I first served as a priest in Texas. That’s where I became an American citizen, and I’m very proud of that, as well.”

“The people of San Antonio have a special goodness and grace that will always keep them close to me in my heart,” he underscored. “In their patience and generosity, they taught me how to be a bishop. I will never forget them, and I will never stop thanking God for the privilege of having served them.”

Looking ahead to where he will be serving, the archbishop comments, “When I was collecting my thoughts for today, I wrote down that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is one of the great Catholic communities in the United States.”

“But it’s really much more than that. It’s one of the great Catholic communities in the world. Los Angeles, like no other city in the world, has the global face of the Catholic Church,” the prelate observes.

“That fact invites us to do two things: first, to thank God for our diversity and the energy it creates; and second, to commit ourselves more deeply to the things that unite us – a zeal for Jesus Christ; confidence in the Gospel; reverence for the Eucharist; service to the poor; defense of the unborn child, the immigrant and the disabled; and a love for the Church as our mother and teacher.”

Archbishop Gomez concludes his press conference remarks, saying, “To the people and religious of the archdiocese, thank you for welcoming me into your hearts, and please never let me out of your prayers. A bishop can live with the criticism of the world. As every bishop very quickly discovers, it goes with the job description all the way back to the original twelve Apostles. But no bishop can live without the love and prayers of his people. So please, never forget Cardinal Mahony, my brother bishops or myself in your prayers.”

God bless and protect Archbishop Gomez, and
he’s Opus Dei.

~ ~ ~

Archbishop-Designate José H. Gomez, S.T.D.

Biography

Archbishop Patrick F. Flores welcomes Archbishop-Designate José H. Gomez, S.T.D.

Archbishop-Designate José H. Gomez, S.T.D., was Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, Moderator of the Curia, Vicar General and Pastor of Mother of God Church.

Bishop Gomez was born on December 26, 1951, in Monterrey, Mexico, the son of Dr. José H. Gomez G. and Esperanza Velasco, both deceased. He has three older sisters and one younger sister. Bishop Gomez’s mother was raised and educated in San Antonio in the 1920s.

Bishop Gomez was ordained a priest of the Opus Dei Prelature on Aug. 15, 1978 by late Cardinal Franz Konig, Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna, at the Shrine of Torrecuidad, Spain.

Bishop Gomez originally formed in a business background holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology. He earned his accounting degree in 1975 as well as a B.A. in Philosophy. In 1978, the year he was ordained a priest, Bishop Gomez completed a B.A. in Theology at the University of Navarre, Rome Campus, and began working on a doctorate in theology at its Main Campus in Pamplona, Spain. He received his doctorate in 1980.

Before being appointed a bishop, Bishop Gomez’s primary priestly ministry was to lay people. From 1987 to 1999 he was in residence at Our Lady of Grace in San Antonio assisting in the pastoral work of the parish.

During this time frame Bishop Gomez also helped in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Katy, TX.

Bishop Gomez has distinguished himself as a respected national leader among Hispanic priests in the Unites States.

In 1991, Bishop Gomez became a regional representative of the National Association of Hispanic Priests, followed by president in 1995 and then executive director from 1999-2001. ANSH is an organization which seeks to strengthen fraternity among the 2,400 Hispanic priests in the United States and to communicate the faith effectively among diverse Hispanic congregations.

In 2003 Bishop Gomez earned the annual National Association of Hispanic Priests Award, “El Buen Pastor.” This award honors a priest who is outstanding in the field of Hispanic Ministry (evangelization, research, pastoral ministry, education, communications, etc.).

From 1997-98, Bishop Gomez served as a member at large on the board of directors for the National Catholic Council of Hispanic Ministry, and he was elected treasurer in 1999. From 1998-2000, he was on the steering committee for Encuentro 2000, a national celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000, which took place in Los Angeles and was sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop Gomez also is an enthusiastic supporter of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and constantly encourages all Catholics to witness their faith in their daily lives. Bishop Gomez played a key role in the recent establishment of the Hispanic Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which opened in August 2000. Founded by Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, the seminary educates Hispanic seminarians who will later serve in the United States.

Bishop Gomez also spearheaded the establishment of Denver’s new Centro San Juan Diego for Family and Pastoral Care, a place for formation of lay leaders and a base to provide welcoming services to immigrants. The Center has both a pastoral and social services mission.

Bishop Gomez also served as Pastor of Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception from 2001-2003. Presently he is Moderator of the Curia and Pastor of Mother of God Church.

Bishop Gomez presently serves on the following boards and committees:

• Chair: Ad Hoc Committee on the Spanish Language Bible for the Church in America (USCCB), 2003 -

• Member: Committee on Doctrine (USCCB), 2002-

• Member: Committee on Priestly Formation (USCCB), 2002-

• Member: Committee on Hispanic Affairs (USCCB), 2002-

• Member: Committee for Priestly Life & Ministry (USCCB), 2003 -

For his Episcopal motto, Bishop Gomez chose a scriptural passage from the Letter to the Hebrews: “Let us go forth with confidence to the Throne of Grace” (Heb. 4, 16)

http://www.satodayscatholic.com/josegomez.aspx

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