ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ ORDAINS L.A.’S FOUR NEW AUXILIARY BISHOPS
September 26, 2023  |  By:   |  Uncategorized  |  

Archbishop José H. Gomez today ordained Msgr. Albert Bahhuth, Fr. Matthew Elshoff, Fr. Brian Nunes and Fr. Slawomir Szkredka as Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. The mandates from the Apostolic See to the new bishops were presented at the Ordination Mass, which was concelebrated by about 500 local and guest priests and more than 30 bishops from throughout the U.S. including Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Roger Mahony and Cardinal of San Diego Robert McElroy. The newly ordained bishops’ family members and thousands of Catholic faithful representing parishes, deacons, orders and ministries from throughout the Archdiocese, along with interfaith and civic leaders, attended the Ordination. Livestream of the Mass and information about the new bishops is available on https://lacatholics.org/newbishops/.

“Every episcopal ordination brings us deep into the mystery of the Church, into the mystery of God’s plan for the world and for our lives,” said Archbishop Gomez in his homily. “Jesus Christ built his Catholic Church on the foundation of his apostles, to be the sign of his love and the instrument by which he makes the whole human race into his family, his kingdom on earth.

“Brothers, you are called today to become the face of Christ, his presence among the people you serve. What a privilege! What a responsibility! But no bishop stands alone. Jesus says today that as the Father has loved him, so he loves you. You will walk with him in friendship, as shepherds of souls and stewards of God’s mysteries.

“My dear brothers, you are the successors of those apostles who preached the Gospel to the whole world and made disciples of all nations. The love of Christ impelled them, and they did whatever Jesus told them. This is your mission now! This is the mission we all share in the Church. And you must lead us. The task before us is urgent. Jesus does not want a single soul to be lost,” said Archbishop Gomez in his homily. See full homily below.

Auxiliary Bishop Alex Aclan and Retired Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson stood alongside Archbishop Gomez as co-consecrators to jointly confer the sacrament of Holy Orders upon the bishop-elects.

Pope Francis named the four new Auxiliary Bishops for Los Angeles on July 18, 2023. Following their ordination, Auxiliary Bishop Elshoff will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region; Auxiliary Bishop Bahhuth will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the San Fernando Pastoral Region; Auxiliary Bishop Nunes will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region; and Auxiliary Bishop Szkredka will serve as the Episcopal Vicar for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in L.A., Bishop Elshoff, 67, joined the Capuchin Franciscan Order in 1973 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. He has served as president of his alma mater, St. Francis High School, as pastor of Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang, and most recently as pastor at St. Lawrence Brindisi in L.A. He also served as local provincial for the Capuchins from 2008 to 2014.

Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, Bishop Bahhuth, 66, was ordained to the priesthood in 1996. He has served at several parishes in the Archdiocese of LA, including as pastor of St. Finbar in Burbank, St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Santa Clarita and most recently at Holy Family in South Pasadena. He was named Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of LA from 2015-2020.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bishop Nunes, 58, was ordained to the priesthood in 2008, and as a priest served at Mary Star of the Sea Parish in San Pedro and St. Gregory the Great in Whittier, before serving as Archbishop Gomez’s priest secretary from 2015 to 2019. He succeeded Bishop Bahhuth as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia in 2020 until named as Auxiliary Bishop.

Hailing from the town of Czechowice-Dziedzice in southern Poland, Bishop Szkredka, 49, was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of LA in 2002. He entered the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 2008, and in 2015 he returned to Los Angeles to teach at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo. In 2017 he earned a doctorate in Sacred Scripture. He is among a handful of bishops under the age of 50 in the U.S.

“Our gratitude extends to God’s Church, the instrument of God’s salvific grace,” said Bishop Szkredka, as he addressed the assembly on behalf of his fellow new bishops, minutes after their ordination today. “We thank our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who, in the name of the Lord, has called us to this new ministry. We thank Archbishop José Gomez, who has presided over this celebration. Archbishop, from the moment we received the news, you have been a source of support and encouragement. We are very much looking forward to working under your leadership.”

The new bishop also thanked cardinals, bishops and priests who concelebrated, as well as family members of each of the four bishops and ended with his plea in Spanish to the Holy Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Angels, “que nos cubra con el manto de su protección. Que siempre recordemos sus palabras ‘¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?’” (May she cover us with her mantle of protection. That we always recall her words, ‘Am I not here, me, your mother?’)

At the Ordination Mass, each of the bishops made solemn promises to uphold the faith and discharge their duty. They also received their pontifical insignia, a bishop’s ring, miter and staff, which were blessed during the Solemn Vespers the evening before the Ordination. The insignia are outward signs of a bishop’s identity as chief priest. The ring symbolizes his fidelity and bond with the Church, while the miter and staff are signs of his authority. Following the Mass, each of the new auxiliary bishops greeted and blessed the faithful in attendance at the Ordination.

The archdiocesan publication Angelus News reported that according to David Cheney, creator of the website Catholic-Hierarchy.org, the last time a pope appointed four auxiliary bishops at once for the same diocese was when St. Pope John Paul II appointed four for the Archdiocese of Bogotá, Colombia in 1986.

For more information on the Ordination and each of the new Auxiliary Bishops, visit https://lacatholics.org/newbishops/. To find out more about Archdiocese of Los Angeles news and events, or to subscribe to media alerts, please visit https://media.la-archdiocese.org.

Full Archbishop Gomez’s homily follows.

Homily — Episcopal Ordinations of Msgr. Albert Bahhuth, Father Matthew Elshoff, O.F.M. Cap., Father Brian Nunes, and Father Slawomir Szkredka as Auxiliary Bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles[1]

Most Reverend José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

September 26, 2023

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is a joy for me to celebrate this Mass with you and to ordain our new bishops.

Every episcopal ordination brings us deep into the mystery of the Church, into the mystery of God’s plan for the world and for our lives.

Jesus Christ built his Catholic Church on the foundation of his apostles, to be the sign of his love and the instrument by which he makes the whole human race into his family, his kingdom on earth.[2]

Our lives are a part of this divine love story.

Pope Francis said recently: “This is the heart of the Christian faith: God, who is Love, has drawn near to you, to me, to everyone, in his Son Jesus, and wants to share in your life, your work, your dreams, and your thirst for happiness.”[3]

Love is the true meaning of our religion. Spreading that love to the ends of the earth is the Church’s mission. Today, my dear bishops-elect, the Lord consecrates you to lead in that mission.

St. Ignatius of Antioch was a bishop taught by the apostles and martyred as they were. He said: “One should look upon the bishop as upon the Lord himself.”[4]

Brothers, you are called today to become the face of Christ, his presence among the people you serve. What a privilege! What a responsibility!

But no bishop stands alone. Jesus says today that as the Father has loved him, so he loves you. You will walk with him in friendship, as shepherds of souls and stewards of God’s mysteries.

St. Paul reminds us today: “We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.” We preach his Word, not our word.

And as the prophet tells us, his Word is good news to the poor and all those who are anxious and troubled.

When Jesus preached, people were astonished and left everything to follow him.

Why? Because for the first time someone spoke to them of their dignity, told them that there was more to life, that they were born for greater things.

Jesus loves us for who we are, and he meets us where we are. But he never leaves us there. He calls us to follow him, to put off our old life and become children of God, to be holy as he is holy.

His Word burned in people’s hearts. It changed lives and changed the world. And it can do that again.

On Pentecost, the eleven apostles gathered in an upper room with the mother of Jesus. Another hundred or so men and women were with them. They were the few remaining disciples of a Man who had died on the cross. They were hated and persecuted.

Yet from that upper room, their message went out to all the earth.

This tiny remnant converted an empire and built a new civilization. Not through politics or violence, but through love.

The first Christians loved as they had been loved, leading holy lives in the middle of the world, as everyday saints. They drew life from the Eucharist and poured out their own lives as an offering of love. Just as Jesus taught them.

They changed the world by believing in the Gospel and challenging others to live it. They encouraged marriages and strengthened families; they taught children to love Jesus and walk in his way.

My dear brothers: you are the successors of those apostles who preached the Gospel to the whole world and made disciples of all nations. The love of Christ impelled them, and they did whatever Jesus told them.[5]

This is your mission now! This is the mission we all share in the Church. And you must lead us.

The task before us is urgent. Jesus does not want a single soul to be lost.

So many today are like sheep without a shepherd, confused about life, searching for meaning, for happiness and love. How will they find Jesus, if we do not proclaim him?

We are all called to play our part in this love story that God is writing in history.

So, let us proclaim his Word boldly, with courage and clarity, and above all, charity.

My brothers and sisters, let us pray for our new bishops! May they lead us in the ways of Jesus.

May Holy Mary, Queen of the Apostles, be with them, and with all of us. “All with Peter, to Jesus, through Mary!”

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[1] Readings: Isaiah 61:1–3; 2 Cor. 4:1–2, 5–7; John 15:9–17.

[2] Eph. 2:20; Rev. 21:14.

[3] Homily, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (September 3, 2023).

[4] Letter to the Ephesians, 6; Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8; Catechism, 1549.

[5] Mark 6:15; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 5:14; John 2:5. https://lacatholics.org/newbishops/.