New San Antonio Archbishop Named

WOAI ^ | 12/29/04 | Jim Forsyth

[sockmonkey]

Pope John Paul II this morning named Jose Horacio Gomez, 53, the Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, as the new Archbishop of San Antonio, succeeding Patrick Flores.

The Pope also accepted the resignation of Flores, who turned 75 this past summer and has been looking forward to retirement.

The Archdiocese said it was 'thrilled' with the appointment.

"Archbishop Designate Gomez spent time here and in Houston and he knows the people, and we're very excited," Archdiocesan spokesman Pat Rodgers said today.

Gomez, who turned 52 last Sunday, was born in Monterrey Mexico and ordained a priest in 1978 in Navarre Spain. He has served as a parish priest in Mexico, in Houston, in Spain, and in Denver, where in addition to his duties as auxiliary bishop he serves as priest of the Mother of God Parish and Chancellor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

"He is officially Archbishop Designate as of today with the announcement from the Vatican," Rodgers said of Bishop Gomez.

Gomez is in San Antonio today for meetings with Flores and other Catholic leaders.

The Vatican also elevated Bishop Joseph Anthony Fiorenza of Houston to Archbishop and created the Diocese of Galveston-Houston into an Archdiocese, making Texas only the second state in the union, after California, to have two archdioceses.

"This will allow each of those archbishops to communicate and more effectively worked with their responsibilities," Rodgers said.

The decision by the Vatican is seen as a recognition of the importance of the booming Hispanic population in Texas, which is mostly Catholic. Texas is second to California in the number of Catholics.

Today's announcement will allow Archbishop Flores to retire, something he has said repeatedly he is looking forward to doing. The Pope also formally accepted Flores' retirement.

"We really don't have a date yet, but hopefully that date will be set very soon," Rodgers said.

[sockmonkey]

Catholic Ping

[Tax-chick]

A happy retirement to Archbishop Flores. Such a sweetie!

[sockmonkey]

Catholic Ping

[B Knotts]

Googling reveals that Bishop Gomez was formerly the vicar delegate of Opus Dei for the state of Texas.

Sounds good.

[Siobhan]

Good bye to Flores. Bishop Gomez will certainly shake things up for the cause of loyalty to the Chair of St. Peter.

Is he the first Opus Dei Archbishop in the USA?

[sockmonkey]

Googling reveals that Bishop Gomez was formerly the vicar delegate of Opus Dei for the state of Texas.

I think I remember reading he joined Opus Dei in 1978.

[NYer]

Bishop Jose H. Gomez

Most Rev. Jose H. Gomez, S.T.D., is 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. Jose 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 and his maternal grandparents were married at the Cathedral of San Fernando in San Antonio.

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 Torreciudad, 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).

Catholic Ping - please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[sockmonkey]

Is he the first Opus Dei Archbishop in the USA?

Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, NJ is Opus Dei. BTW, I know nothing about Myers.

[secret garden]

Interesting little tidbit here.

[NeoCaveman]

Looks like someone we could have used in Cleveland Oh. I guess we have to wait another two and a half years, but who's counting. It's also a good sign that he's there via Denver, land of Bishop Chaput IIRC.

[Antoninus]

A happy retirement to Archbishop Flores. Such a sweetie!

Sarcasm?

Abuse Victims File Petition Seeking Removal Of Archbishop

By PAUL LIKOUDIS
From The Wanderer April 4, 2002

SAN ANTONIO - A canonical petition seeking the removal of Patrick Flores, archbishop of San Antonio, was sent on March 11 to Pope John Paul II and the Holy Roman Rota, charging Flores has been grossly negligent in the exercise of his episcopal office, has failed to protect the temporal goods of the archdiocese, and has endangered the faith of the people entrusted to his care by allowing sexual predators within the clergy free rein.

The canonical suit was filed by Houston attorney J. Douglas Sutter, who represents two women, along with several minors, in several pending civil actions against Flores, the Archdiocese of San Antonio, and two priests who are accused of sexual abuse.

The civil suits are currently in their preliminary stages. Sutter, at the time this report was written, was scheduled to depose Flores' vicar general, Msgr. Lawrence Stuebben, on March 27. He is scheduled to depose Archbishop Flores on April 17. Already, Sutter has filed claims with the court seeking sanctions against Flores for refusing to cooperate in the civil proceedings.

In the canonical action against Flores, who was installed as archbishop of San Antonio in October 1979, the petitioners allege that Flores and his top aides were, aware - because of numerous civil lawsuits - that his priests were involved in "heterosexual predatory practices, homosexual predatory practices, and pedophiliac practices," and that "millions of dollars have been, quietly paid out by the archdiocese to victims of sexual abuse by the clergy; liability insurance/coverage limits have been exhausted by the payments of legitimate claims; and ... at least three suicides have occurred in the archdiocese as the result of sexual abuse'"

Continued...

[Antoninus]

Gomez looks like a good egg--a definite step up from Flores.

[colorado tanker]

In contrast, a Protestant seminary in Denver fired a Hispanic headmaster because he refused to tow the white upper middle class liberal line, daring to inject some of the orthodoxy of his fellow Latin American protestants. No racism was involved, of course.

[Antoninus]

Then, there's this one...

San Antonio Archbishop’s Deposition Shows Problems Of Uncovering Truth About Scandals

A quote from the article:

"At one point in the deposition, Flores gave an answer that indicated flippancy toward his responsibilities. Deposing attorney J. Douglas Sutter (who is representing clients suing Flores and petitioning the Holy See to remove him) asked Flores if he should not be removed from office for violating his own Policy on Sex Abuse on at least five occasions, by not terminating priests against whom credible charges of sex abuse were made.

Flores, who will turn 73 in July, answered: "Well, I would be happy if I would be removed from office. I’m retiring."

[Antoninus]

More on Archbishop Flores from the Wanderer article linked above:

"Sutter probed Flores on his relationship with the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, attempting to learn if Flores believed Bernardin was responsible for his appointment as a bishop. Flores did admit that he and Bernardin served together on a number of committees, including a project to assist the Church in Latin America. Sutter also walked Flores through his arrest record, notably his arrest along with other American bishops (Robert Sanchez, formerly of Santa Fe, and Los Angeles auxiliaries Gilbert Chavez and Juan Arzube) and some European priests and theologians in Riobamba, Ecuador, in August 1976.

Those four were among two archbishops, 17 bishops, two religious, and priests and laity charged with entering the country illegally in order to promote a Cuban-style revolution.

Yeah, a real sweetie, this one.

[saradippity]

The Catholics in San Antonio are very fortunate. They are getting another of the intelligent,holy and humble Bishops the Pope has appointed lately.

[St.Chuck]

Very, very exciting news. Hoooooray! Can't tell ya how thrilled I am for ya'll down there. The restoration continues. Way to pray sockmonkey!

[sockmonkey]

Very, very exciting news. Hoooooray! Can't tell ya how thrilled I am for ya'll down there. The restoration continues. Way to pray sockmonkey!

Many folks down here were praying Gomez would be chosen. I've been praying that he would be Flores' successor ever since you told me about him over Mexican Food a year and a half ago.

BTW, Hope your family had a blessed Christmas.

[Siobhan]

Ecclesiastical Province of Galveston-Houston also created on Dec. 29th. with Fiorenza named Metropolitan Archbishop (he retires very soon), but delightfully the coadjutor was also raised to the dignity of Archbishop so it is Archbishop Daniel DiNardo -- look for him to be named a Cardinal in future years, a scholar of the Eastern early Church Fathers.

[sockmonkey]

++ the coadjutor was also raised to the dignity of Archbishop ++

I was wondering about that. They didn't mention it on the local news, just that Fiorenza was raised to Archbishop.

[BlackElk]

An actual Catholic as Archbishop of San Antonio! Not a moment too soon. Archbishop DiNardo seems to be another good one at Galveston-Houston. Now on to the smaller dioceses which, in many cases, also need substantial improvement.

[St.Chuck]

Hope your family had a blessed Christmas.

Thank you. We did; made most delightful by the presence of the newest addition, a daughter who will turn six months old tomorrow....and got an apostate brother of mine to accompany us to Christmas mass, his first since the Jesuits got done with him twenty years ago. (It's a start).

Peace to you and yours. Have a happy new year. With Bishop Gomez's appointment it's off to a good start.:o)