ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ ANNOUNCES PASTORAL ASSIGNMENTS OF NEW AUXILIARY BISHOPS FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES
August 9, 2023  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

—Following Church law, the new Auxiliary Bishops will be appointed as Episcopal Vicars with special responsibilities in the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese—

Archbishop José H. Gomez announced the pastoral assignments of the four new Auxiliary Bishop-elects of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, named by Pope Francis in July. After their ordination on September 26, the new bishops will serve as Episcopal Vicars of four of the five pastoral regions that form the Archdiocese, joining Auxiliary Bishop Marc Trudeau, who is the Episcopal Vicar for the San Pedro Pastoral Region. The Archdiocese’s five Pastoral Regions of San Pedro, San Gabriel, Our Lady of the Angels, San Fernando and Santa Barbara were established in 1986 to support the ministry of the Archbishop of L.A.

“This is a time of joy for the family of God here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I know you have been joining me in praying and giving thanks to our Holy Father Pope Francis for his gift of four new Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese,” said Archbishop Gomez in an announcement to the Archdiocese. “After prayer, reflection and consultation, I have decided on the assignments for our new bishops, following their ordinations on September 26 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

“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. 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,” said Archbishop Gomez.

To serve in their new assignments, the new bishops will be appointed as Episcopal Vicars, who according to Church law have special responsibilities in the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese.

The new assignments are:

–Bishop-elect Albert Bahhuth will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the San Fernando Pastoral Region, replacing Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Aclan, who is recovering from a stroke he suffered in August 2022. Retired Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson has overseen the region since then.

–Bishop-elect Matthew Elshoff will be the Episcopal Vicar for the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region, replacing Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark, who retired in February 2022 after reaching the retirement age of 75. The role has been served by Msgr. Terrance L. Fleming.

–Bishop-elect Brian Nunes, will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, replacing the late Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell. Since his death in February 2023, the role has been served by Msgr. Jim Halley.

–Bishop-elect Slawomir Szkredka will be the Episcopal Vicar for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region, replacing Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron, who was named Bishop of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota in June 2022. Father Leon Hutton has overseen the region since then.

In his announcement, Archbishop Gomez thanked Auxiliary Bishop Aclan and offered prayers for his recovery and his return to active ministry and expressed his gratitude to the temporary Episcopal Vicars.

For more information about the new assignments, an article can be found at https://angelusnews.com/local/la-catholics/new-la-bishops-regions/. For information about the new bishop-elects, visit https://lacatholics.org/newbishops/.

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