POPE FRANCIS NAMES NEW AUXILIARY BISHOP FOR ARCHDICOESE OF LOS ANGELES
March 5, 2019  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

L.A. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph V. Brennan Named Bishop of Fresno

Pope Francis today named Msgr. Alejandro (Alex) Aclan from Los Angeles auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Archbishop José H. Gomez and the bishop-elect addressed local media on the Pope’s announcement at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. The Holy Father also named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph V. Brennan, for the San Fernando Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as Bishop of Fresno. 

Archbishop Gomez began his remarks by addressing the Papal announcement on the newly appointed auxiliary bishop and introducing Bishop-elect Aclan, saying, “our new Bishop-elect is a proud son of our vibrant Filipino community.” Bishop-elect Aclan’s appointment makes him the second Filipino-American priest to be named bishop in the U.S.

“Bishop-elect Aclan is a man of prayer and he has a true heart for Jesus — and a deep concern for the people he is called to serve. And I know he will be a voice for Filipino Catholics, who are a beautiful sign of growth and renewal in our Church here in Los Angeles and throughout the country,” said Archbishop Gomez. “I look forward to working with our new bishop to continue our mission of sharing the love of God here with the people of Los Angeles.”

Bishop-elect Aclan is the third of eight children born to a devout family raised in the suburbs of Manila, Philippines. In an interview with Angelus magazine, Bishop-elect shared that although his father was a decorated war hero, he is most grateful to his father “for living out a different kind of service” in his dedication to his family and community. Full story is available at https://angelusnews.com/news/pablo-kay/meet-las-newest-bishop-a-proud-filipino-immigrant.

Bishop-elect Aclan was ordained to the priesthood in 1993. He served as parochial vicar at St. Finbar Parish in Burbank from 1993-1996 before becoming the Vocations Director for teenagers at Queen of Angels Minor Seminary from 1996-1999. He then served as parochial vicar at St. John of God in Norwalk 1993-2000, and as pastor at St. Madeleine Parish in Pomona from 2000-2011. Bishop-elect Aclan served as Associate Vicar for Clergy from 2012-2015 and as Vicar for Clergy until 2018 and has currently been on sabbatical.

“There is much joy in the faith communities of our growing, vibrant, and jubilant church that is life-giving. But there are also disagreements and divergent views. Much work is needed for the healing, reconciliation, strengthening of the faith, and return to the church of people who, for one reason or another, have felt hurt or alienated,” said Bishop-elect Aclan. “People from opposite sides need to be brought together. Ours is a church that is very diverse, and the challenge is great. I ask that we continue to pray for our archdiocese, and do so even more, so we too can achieve our ultimate goal – oneness in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Bishop-Elect Aclan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from the University of Santo Tomas, Dominican University in Manila, Philippines, in 1971. He migrated to Los Angeles from the Philippines with his family in 1982, and had been employed by University of Santo Tomas, San Miguel Corporation and Citibank in the Philippines, and Union Bank in Los Angeles before entering St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo.

Bishop-elect Aclan will be ordained at a special Mass on May 16 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

The Holy Father today named LA-native Auxiliary Bishop Joseph V. Brennan, for the San Fernando Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as Bishop of Fresno. (Visit dioceseoffresno.org for full announcement details)

“I want to congratulate Bishop Brennan and to thank him for his ministry for many years here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,” said Archbishop Gomez. “He has been a great priest and bishop and a good friend. I am going to miss him, and so will the people of the San Fernando Pastoral Region, where he serves as Episcopal Vicar.”

Bishop Brennan, son of a San Fernando Valley grocer and the ninth of ten children, has served the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 39 years and was ordained as auxiliary bishop in 2015.

“I want to get into the fields for lots of reasons. I think migrant workers need lots of support, they need spiritual sustenance,” said Bishop Brennan in a recent interview with Angelus magazine. “The San Joaquin Valley practically feeds the world in many ways.  And I’d like to help build bridges between the workers, upon whom we depend and they depend.” Full story is available at https://angelusnews.com/news/pablo-kay/pope-names-an-angeleno-as-new-bishop-of-americas-food-basket.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest Archdiocese in the United States with approximately five million Catholics.  For more information please visit www.la-archdiocese.org and www.facebook.com/CatholicLosAngeles.

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For the digital press kit, visit https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u6W8LpRqCsvbroHjtCk8NtmfZ9PP5m1P?usp=sharing.