| The Most Reverend José Horacio Gómez |
|
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Los Angeles | |
| See | Los Angeles |
| Enthroned | March 1, 2011 (0 years, 359 days) |
| Predecessor | Roger Mahony |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Other posts | Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles (2010 - 2011) Archbishop of San Antonio (2004-2010) Auxiliary Bishop of Denver (2001-2004) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | August 15, 1978 |
| Consecration | March 26, 2001 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 26, 1951 Monterrey, Mexico |
| Styles of José Horacio Gómez |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | His Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
José Horacio Gómez (born December 26, 1951) is a Mexican-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, currently serving as the Archbishop of Los Angeles. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver from 2001–2004 and as Archbishop of San Antonio from 2004–2010.[1]
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Gómez was ordained a priest of Opus Dei in 1978 in Spain.[2] Following his ordination, he worked for Opus Dei in several capacities in his native Mexico and in Texas. In 2001 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Denver and was consecrated bishop that year. In 2004 he was appointed archbishop of San Antonio. In 2010 Gómez was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Los Angeles with immediate right of succession to Cardinal Roger Mahony, who was approaching his mandatory retirement age.[3][4][5] He officially succeeded Mahony to become Archbishop of Los Angeles on March 1, 2011.[6][7]
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Gómez was born in Monterrey, Mexico, to José H. Gómez and Esperanza Velasco.[8] One of five children, he has three older sisters and one younger sister.[8] He attended the Monterrey Institute of Technology before entering the National University of Mexico, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1975.[8] In college he joined Opus Dei, a Catholic organization founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá that teaches people to seek holiness in their ordinary activities.[3]
Gómez left his native country to study at the Rome campus of the University of Navarre, earning his B.A. in Theology in 1978.[9]
On August 15, 1978, Gómez was ordained a priest of Opus Dei by Cardinal Franz König at the Shrine of Torreciudad in Spain.[1][9] He obtained a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the main campus of the University of Navarre at Pamplona in 1980.[9] He then pursued pastoral work with college and high school students in Spain and Mexico.[3] From 1987 to 1999, Gómez was in residence at Our Lady of Grace Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he assisted in the pastoral work of the parish.[8] During this period, he also helped in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Katy.[8] He became a U.S. citizen in 1995.[3]
In 1991, Gómez became a regional representative of the National Association of Hispanic Priests, rising to become its president in 1995 and later serving as executive director from 1999 to 2001.[9] In 2003, he earned the annual National Association of Hispanic Priests Award, "El Buen Pastor".[9] From 1997 to 1998, he served as a member-at-large on the Board of Directors for the National Catholic Council of Hispanic Ministry, being elected treasurer in 1999.[8] From 1998 to 2000, he was on the steering committee for Encuentro 2000, a national celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000.[8] Along with Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, he played a key role in the establishment of the Hispanic Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which opened in August 2000.[8] He also spearheaded the establishment of 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, in Denver, Colorado.[8] In 1999, he became the vicar of Opus Dei for Texas.[3]
On January 23, 2001, Gómez was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Denver and titular bishop of Belali by Pope John Paul II.[1] He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 26 from Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., with Bishops Joseph Fiorenza and Javier Echevarría Rodríguez serving as co-consecrators.[1] He is the first numerary member of Opus Dei to be ordained a bishop in the United States.[10][11] As a bishop, however, he is no longer a member of the organization in the sense that he reports to the Pope and thus does not answer to the prelate in charge of Opus Dei like the other members do.[12] Gomez has said he is not a "member" of Opus Dei, but rather that he was ordained a priest in Opus Dei and that his spirituality reflects that background.[7]
As an auxiliary bishop, Gómez served as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver from 2001 to 2003.[9] He later served as both moderator of the curia and pastor of Mother of God Church.[9]
Gómez was appointed Archbishop of San Antonio on December 29, 2004.[1] In 2005 he was named one of Time Magazine's 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States, and in 2007 he was on a CNN's list of "Notable Hispanics" in a web special celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.[8] In 2006, Archbishop Gomez officially introduced The Catholic Community Foundation for the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.[8] In 2007, he was instrumental in bringing together Hispanic leaders and Catholic bishops for the creation of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL).[8]
During his tenure in San Antonio, Gómez earned a reputation as an orthodox leader who reversed some of the more liberal-leaning initiatives in the diocese.[13][14] He disbanded the chancery's Justice and Peace Commission after its members expressed their opposition to a state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage.[13] During the 2008 presidential election, he publicly expressed concern when St. Mary's University, the oldest Catholic university in Texas as well as the Southwest, allowed pro-choice candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton to hold a campaign event on campus.[12] He also voiced his concerns when another Catholic university, Our Lady of the Lake University, allowed a high-profile nun who some claim supports female ordination to be a keynote speaker at an event.[14] He welcomed Summorum Pontificum, which granted greater freedom to the Tridentine Mass, saying it would preserve "the rich heritage and legacy of the Church."[15]
He is a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America in the Roman Curia, and of the Board of Trustees at The Catholic University of America.[8] As a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America; in the latter capacity, he led a three-bishop delegation to Haiti to assess the situation there following its 2010 earthquake.[16] He is also chairman-elect of the Committee on Migration, chairman of the Task Force on the Spanish-language Bible, and a member of the Committee on Doctrine.[3]
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest Catholic diocese in the nation, with Hispanics comprising more than two-thirds of the archdiocese's five million Catholics.[4][14] On April 6, 2010, Gómez was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, by Pope Benedict XVI.[1] Gómez succeeded Cardinal Mahony on March 1, 2011, with a transition ceremony held on February 27, 2011.[17] He is the first Hispanic to serve as Archbishop of Los Angeles, as well as the highest-ranking Hispanic bishop in the United States.[14] "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," Archbishop Gomez said. "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." A Mass of Reception for Archbishop Gomez is scheduled for May 26.[4]
Considered to be theologically conservative, Gómez is also viewed as "a natural conciliator admired for uniting rich and poor and Anglo and Hispanic Catholics..."[18] He is regarded as more conservative than his predecessor, Cardinal Mahony.[13][14] Addressing this belief, however, Mahony has said, "these labels of 'conservative' and 'liberal' are really unhelpful in the life of the church",[12] and "I can attest that both of us share a common commitment to Christ and to the Church, and that both of us are interested in promoting the teachings of the Church fully as well as bringing the words and example of Christ to today’s society and world."[19] He also said it would be wrong for observers to conclude Gomez was a conservative because he was a priest of Opus Dei.[12]
In a Tuesday, September 27, 2011 online news article from Los Angeles posted on the Catholic News Agency home page, Archbishop Gómez stated that Catholic schools were a necessary mission that needed to continue:
"Catholic schools make a "major contribution" to the Los Angeles region's social fabric and to the common good of the country as a whole, Archbishop José H. Gómez said as he encouraged Catholics to be generous in supporting their school systems.
“Education remains essential to our Church’s mission. Catholic schools have given generations of immigrants and minority groups a way out of poverty and a chance to become leaders in our civic and cultural life, he said in a Sept. 23 column in the archdiocesan paper The Tidings.
“We need to make sure this Catholic mission of hope and uplift continues for our newest Americans and in the face of new challenges in our cities.”
He said the “most serious” challenge to Catholic schools is meeting the economic needs of families who can’t afford the costs of Catholic school tuition. “So we need to find a way to help,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez noted the responsibility of clergy, religious, and lay people to work together to grow Catholic schools and to expand into new areas.
He also praised the accomplishments of the Catholic school systems.
“What our students are achieving is really amazing. And this story is being repeated in Catholic schools all across our country,”
The Catholic schools of the Los Angeles region serve 80,000 students. They constitute the third largest school system in California. Nearly 70 percent of students are ethnic minorities and more than one in three come from families living below the poverty line. Catholic schools have more than two million students nationwide, 15 percent of whom are not Catholic.
“I have hoped for a long time that our politicians and civic leaders would start paying more attention to Catholic schools in their search for solutions to our nation’s education problems. Because studies over the years keep concluding that Catholic schools provide better educational outcomes at a lower cost than public schools,” Archbishop Gomez said.
Each public school student, on average, is educated at a cost of $10,300 a year, while Catholic schools spend only $7,000 per student. They graduate 99 percent of their students, compared to the 73 percent graduation rate in public schools. Catholic schools have higher college entrance rates and better SAT scores, especially among low-income and economically disadvantaged students, the archbishop said.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Catholic Education Foundation recently received a $11.3 million endowment from the Frank and Blanche Seaver Trust, which will ensure tuition for at least 600 students in addition to the 7,300 awards already provided.
Inspired by the new grant, the archdiocese has launched an initiative headed by former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan to raise $100 million for Catholic schools. The initiative could help another 5,000 students annually. The initiative asks supporters to make provisions in their trusts or wills for the education foundation.
There are 9,000 students on waiting lists for the schools in the archdiocese.
Archbishop Gomez asked for prayers, especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to help Catholics to be “generous in supporting the Church’s educational mission of teaching and proclaiming hope in the name of her Son. Education remains essential to our Church’s mission. Catholic schools have given generations of immigrants and minority groups a way out of poverty and a chance to become leaders in our civic and cultural life, he said in a Sept. 23 column in the archdiocesan paper The Tidings.
“We need to make sure this Catholic mission of hope and uplift continues for our newest Americans and in the face of new challenges in our cities.”
He said the “most serious” challenge to Catholic schools is meeting the economic needs of families who can’t afford the costs of Catholic school tuition. “So we need to find a way to help,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez noted the responsibility of clergy, religious, and lay people to work together to grow Catholic schools and to expand into new areas.
He also praised the accomplishments of the Catholic school systems.
“What our students are achieving is really amazing. And this story is being repeated in Catholic schools all across our country,”
The Catholic schools of the Los Angeles region serve 80,000 students. They constitute the third largest school system in California. Nearly 70 percent of students are ethnic minorities and more than one in three come from families living below the poverty line. Catholic schools have more than two million students nationwide, 15 percent of whom are not Catholic.
“I have hoped for a long time that our politicians and civic leaders would start paying more attention to Catholic schools in their search for solutions to our nation’s education problems. Because studies over the years keep concluding that Catholic schools provide better educational outcomes at a lower cost than public schools,” Archbishop Gomez said.
Each public school student, on average, is educated at a cost of $10,300 a year, while Catholic schools spend only $7,000 per student. They graduate 99 percent of their students, compared to the 73 percent graduation rate in public schools. Catholic schools have higher college entrance rates and better SAT scores, especially among low-income and economically disadvantaged students, the archbishop said.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Catholic Education Foundation recently received a $11.3 million endowment from the Frank and Blanche Seaver Trust, which will ensure tuition for at least 600 students in addition to the 7,300 awards already provided.
Inspired by the new grant, the archdiocese has launched an initiative headed by former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan to raise $100 million for Catholic schools. The initiative could help another 5,000 students annually. The initiative asks supporters to make provisions in their trusts or wills for the education foundation.
There are 9,000 students on waiting lists for the schools in the archdiocese.
Archbishop Gomez asked for prayers, especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to help Catholics to be “generous in supporting the Church’s educational mission of teaching and proclaiming hope in the name of her Son.”[20]
| Episcopal lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Charles J. Chaput[21] |
| Consecrator of | |
|---|---|
| Bishop | Date of consecration |
| Kevin William Vann | July 13, 2005 |
| Oscar Cantú | June 2, 2008 |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Patrick Flores |
Archbishop of San Antonio 2004 — 2010 |
Succeeded by Gustavo Garcia-Siller |
| Preceded by None |
Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles 2010 — 2011 |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Roger Mahony |
Archbishop of Los Angeles 2011 — present |
Incumbent |