Posted on 02/17/2005 1:04:52 PM PST by siunevada
Catholics welcome staunch conservative as the top priest in San Antonio
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle San Antonio Bureau
SAN ANTONIO - South Texas Catholics filled San Fernando Cathedral on Tuesday night for the solemn installation of Archbishop Jose H. Gomez as their spiritual leader.
Gomez, 53, was born in Mexico, educated in Europe and ministered in Houston before serving as an auxiliary bishop in Denver. In December the Vatican chose him to succeed Archbishop Patrick Flores, who last year reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 after more than 25 years as archbishop.
About 250 priests, bishops and archbishops joined 400 invited guests to see Gomez installed as San Antonio's fifth archbishop. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo of Colombia, apostolic nuncio to the United States, represented the Vatican.
Gomez will oversee the church's San Antonio Province, which includes the dioceses of San Antonio, Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo, Lubbock and San Angelo. Texas' seven other dioceses are part of the recently designated Galveston-Houston Province, overseen by Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza.
A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Gomez pursued an accounting career before being ordained a priest of the Opus Dei Prelature in 1978. When he came to the United States, he divided his time between San Antonio and the Houston area from 1987to 1999. He celebrated Mass, heard confessions, led Bible studies in Katy and helped organize the National Association of Hispanic Priests.
"I will be always grateful to the people on the outside of Houston. I spent a number of years there and I have a lot of friends, and I had a great time," Gomez said. "I hope they keep me in their prayers, and they can be assured in my prayers for them and my love for them."
His comments came after an informal ceremony in which he was provided symbolic keys to the 18th-century cathedral. "Today is an extremely special day for me," he said, "because of the graces I am receiving."
He said he hopes to show that spirituality belongs in "daily life, family and the business world, too." The comments reflected the philosophy of Opus Dei, an influential conservative group that for the first time has a U.S. archbishop from among its ranks.
Fiorenza said Gomez worked hard to serve Houston-area Hispanics, mainly at St. Bartholomew's Catholic Church in Katy.
"I used to see him regularly and then I asked him to take care of the Hispanic community in Katy," Fiorenza said. "He did that every weekend, and when he had to leave and go to Denver, the people were very, very sorry, and they were very grateful to him.
"He's a very kind, gentle and humble man, even though he's got a very good education. The people of the Archdiocese of San Antonio will find him to be very, very approachable."
Another longtime friend, the Rev. Michael J. Barrett, director of Holy Cross Chapel in downtown Houston, said Gomez is a good listener.
"He spends a lot of time every day in prayer, and that's pretty important if you're going to take on the responsibilities that he has," Barrett added. "He is a soft-spoken man. He likes to remain more in the background. He's very bright, very intelligent. He likes to listen to what people have to say and think about it before he forms any kind of a judgment or decision."
The Rev. Miguel Solorzano, pastor of St. Philip of Jesus Catholic Church in Houston, said Gomez forged alliances among area Hispanics.
And by helping organize the Hispanic priests' group, "he was the one who made it more effective," Solorzano said.
The fact that a staunch conservative was elected leader of the priests' organization showed how much he was respected, Solorzano said.
"He was just like one of us."
john.gonzalez@chron.com
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