ASSIGNMENTS FOR NEW AUXILIARY BISHOPS AND ORDINATION EVENTS ANNOUNCED

August 19, 2015  |  By: newsroom  |  Press Releases  |  

Archbishop José H. Gomez announced the assignments for the three new Auxiliary Bishops of Los Angeles who will be ordained on September 8 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Pope Francis named Msgr. David G. O’Connell and Msgr. Joseph V. Brennan from Los Angeles and Father Robert E. Barron from Chicago Auxiliary Bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on July 21, 2015.

After prayer, reflection and consultation, Archbishop Gomez decided on the following assignments for the bishops-elect following their ordinations: Auxiliary Bishop Joseph V. Brennan will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the San Fernando Pastoral Region; Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region; and Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region.

“It is important to remember that all of our Auxiliary Bishops are ordained to serve, not only the region they are assigned to, but the entire family of God in Los Angeles,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Auxiliary Bishops are called to be true pastors — men of prayer and virtue, men of mercy and men of mission — in the service of the Archdiocese, and in communion with me as the Archbishop and with Pope Francis as the head of the universal Church.”

The Archdiocese’s five Pastoral Regions were established in 1986 — the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region, the San Pedro Pastoral Region, the San Fernando Pastoral Region, the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, and the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region. This administrative division serves an important practical function in assisting the Archbishop in ministering to the people of the Archdiocese, the largest Catholic Archdiocese in the United States with approximately five million Catholics covering three counties, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara.

In accordance with Church law, Auxiliary Bishops can be appointed as Episcopal Vicars, who have special responsibilities in the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese. The role of Episcopal Vicar has been served in the Santa Barbara region by Msgr. Michael J. Jennett and in the San Gabriel Region by Msgr. James Loughnane and in the San Fernando region by Bishop Gerald Wilkerson.

“I want to express my deep gratitude to Msgr. Jennett and Msgr. Loughnane for their faithfulness and tireless dedication to serving the people of God,” said the Archbishop. “I also want to again thank Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, who is retiring as Episcopal Vicar of the San Fernando Region. I know I join all the people of the Archdiocese in my gratitude for his many years of wise and dedicated service. I am grateful that I will continue to be able to count on Bishop Wilkerson, along with Msgr. Jennett and Msgr. Loughnane, for advice and fraternal support in my ministry.”

Due to limited capacity, the September 8 Ordination will be by invitation only, the public is invited to celebrate this historic moment in the history of the Archdiocese at the Solemn Vespers and Blessing of the Episcopal Insignia service celebrated by Archbishop Gomez and the new Auxiliary Bishops on September 7 at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The Ordination Mass and the Solemn Vespers liturgy will be streamed live at http://archla.org/live. For more information on each of the new Auxiliary Bishops, visit www.la-archdiocese.org.

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