Archbishop Jose Gomez Named to Be Successor to Cardinal Mahony upon His Retirement As Archbishop of Los Angeles, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio, April 6, 2010

Archbishop José Gomez Named to Be Successor to Cardinal Mahony upon His Retirement As Archbishop of Los Angeles.

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio
April 6, 2010

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SAN ANTONIO (TX) -- The people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest archdiocese in the United States, now know who will be the successor to Cardinal Roger M. Mahony upon his retirement. Archbishop José Gomez has been named the "coadjutor archbishop" of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Benedict XVI, which carries with it the right of succession. As coadjutor archbishop, Archbishop Gomez will aid Cardinal Mahony in the governance of the diocese and would take his place if he is absent or impeded. The appointment was made public by the Vatican this morning at 5 a.m. San Antonio time,.

The Vatican did not name a successor to Archbishop Gomez when making the announcement.

An Archdiocesan Administrator will be named on an interim basis upon Archbishop Gomez's departure. When the new archbishop will be named is not certain, but it could take at least 6 months to a year. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles will celebrate a Mass of Welcoming at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on May 26th at 2 p.m. There will be a Mass of thanksgiving and farewell for Archbishop Gomez in San Antonio. Details will be announced.

An archdiocesan administrator must be a priest of at least 35 years of age. While there are limitations placed on him by Church law, the administrator generally has the same responsibilities and authority as an archbishop.

Cardinal Mahony, a native Angelino, was appointed archbishop of his home diocese by Pope John Paul II in 1985. He was elevated to cardinal in 1991.

Today, as Archbishop Gomez was introduced to the Los Angeles media at a press conference, he said; "I'm very grateful to the Holy Father for giving me this opportunity to serve the Church with a mentor and leader like Cardinal Roger Mahony. I'm grateful to the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, for supporting the Holy Father's confidence in me. I will try with all my strength to earn that trust."

Gomez also expressed sadness and gratitude as he prepares to leave San Antonio, "The people of San Antonio have a special goodness and grace that will always keep them close to me in my heart. In their patience and generosity, they taught me how to be a bishop. I will never forget them, and I will never stop thanking God for the privilege of having served them."

Introducing Archbishop Gomez to the people of the Archdiocese, Cardinal Mahony said: "I welcome Archbishop Gomez to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles with enthusiasm and personal excitement. The Auxiliary Bishops and I are looking forward to working closely with him over the coming months until he becomes the Archbishop early in 2011." Archbishop Gomez was appointed bishop by Pope John Paul II when he was named Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver in 2002. In December of 2004, he was appointed Archbishop of San Antonio, succeeding Archbishop Patrick F. Flores and was installed archbishop on February 15, 2005 at San Fernando Cathedral

. During his time in San Antonio, Archbishop Gomez did much to help Catholics better understand Church teaching, while providing them with the support necessary to apply their faith to their daily lives. Upon his fifth anniversary as Archbishop of San Antonio, Gomez published his third pastoral letter, entitled You Will be My Witnesses, which exhorts the faithful to carry out their mission of evangelization. He established an Office for Evangelization to help Catholics embrace their responsibility to share the Gospel. He created an Office of Life, Justice and Peace, emphasizing its teaching ministry to help Catholics live their faith when confronted with important issues in today's society. He also helped to reshape the programs for couples preparing for marriage and those who were seeking to become Catholics through improvements made to the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program.

He is known for his passionate efforts to encourage priestly vocations in the archdiocese. As a symbol of his commitment, Archbishop Patrick F. Flores Residence Hall was dedicated in 2007. In 2008, nine men were ordained to serve in the archdiocese as priests, the highest number since 1930. Today, Assumption Seminary boasts a student body of 83 men studying for the priesthood plus six additional men who are on internship. He initiated a number of important fundraising initiatives that included The Catholic Community Foundation, a foundation begun to help secure a solid financial future for ministries and parishes in the archdiocese; Hope for the Future, an ongoing campaign to assist families seeking a Catholic Education for their children; and saw the Archbishop's Appeal reach record donations.

The Los Angeles Archdiocese covers Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, encompassing more than 8,700 square miles. As of 2005, 4,349,267 Catholics live in an area that boasts a total population of 11,258,000. There are 225 Catholic elementary schools serving some 65,000 students, and 53 Catholic highs schools that educate nearly 30,000 students. According to Archdiocesan statistics there are 356 diocesan priests and 640 religious priests ministering in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Gomez is the chair-elect for the Committee on Migrations. He acts as the current chair for the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America. He also serves on the Committee on Doctrine and the Subcommittee on Hispanics and the Liturgy, and is the chair of the Task Force on Spanish Language Bible for the Church in America.