Three auxiliary bishops

named for Los Angeles

Father Robert Barron, Msgr. Joseph V. Brennan Msgr. David G. O'Connell

WASHINGTON (CNS)—Pope Francis has named three auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson, 75. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced the changes July 21 in Washington.

The pope appointed two priests from Los Angeles and one from Chicago, the rector of Mundelein Seminary, to be auxiliary bishops. Father Robert Barron, 55, is a native of Chicago who has served as rector of Mundelein and president of the University of St. Mary of the Lake, also in Mundelein, Illinois, since 2012. He is the founder of the global Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and has long been involved in media ministry.

Father Barron's "Word on Fire" is a regular feature on southtexascatholic.com.

Msgr. Joseph V. Brennan, 61, vicar general and moderator of the curia in Los Angeles since 2013, is a native of Van Nuys, California, whose studies and assignments have all been in the Southern California archdiocese.

Msgr. David G. O'Connell, 61, is a native of County Cork, Ireland, who studied at All Hallows College in Dublin before being ordained a priest of the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979. He has been pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Los Angeles since 2003.

Bishop Wilkerson turned 75 last October. Canon law requires bishops to offer their resignations at that age. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Bishop Wilkerson was ordained for the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1965. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop Jan. 21, 1998.

“I think it is clear that in appointing these new auxiliary bishops, Pope Francis really understands what the Church needs—not just here in Los Angeles, but also in the United States and across the Americas,” Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles said. “I believe each of these new auxiliary bishops will help us in our mission here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles—the beautiful mission we have of sharing the love of God and the message of Jesus Christ and promoting human dignity and mercy and justice in our society.”

Los Angeles is the largest archdiocese in the country by population, with about 4.3 million Catholics. It has four other active auxiliary bishops and two others who are retired.