Last Wednesday, Archbishop Jose Gomez was officially welcomed at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Watch in YouTube: Archbishop Gómez comes to Los Angeles
He is the Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese and will succeed Cardinal Roger Mahony, when he retires in February of next year.
Cardinal Mahony introduced Archbishop Gomez at the beginning of the Mass, and later reminded attendants that “It is Jesus himself who is the cornerstone of God’s plan of salvation in every age,” the cardinal said. “He is ever at work building up his Church. Jesus alone is the supreme shepherd of the flock.”
“Mahony goes, Gomez comes, but Christ alone endures.”
During his homily, Cardinal Mahony also praised the leadership of Archbishop Gomez and implored him to focus his efforts on increasing the number of priests and consecrated men and women within the archdiocese.
Following Communion, Archbishop Gomez addressed the congregation, speaking of his pleasure at being in Los Angeles. Switching fluidly between English and Spanish, Archbishop Gomez tearfully accepted the warm welcome and entrusted his ministry to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
During the homily, Archbishop Gomez said:
“My sisters and brothers, I have so much to learn about this extraordinary family that God has gathered here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,” the 58-year-old native of Mexico told the assembly near the end of Mass. “I have only just begun, and I’m going to need your prayers and assistance, your counsel and guidance, and most of all your patience.
“I ask your prayers for me. I pledge you my life and my love. I promise to always be your servant, and a servant of the word of God, ‘la palabra de Dios,’ the Gospel that we all believe in,” he said.
Some 3,800 people were present, with representatives from all 28 parishes of the Archdiocese. Cardinal Mahony was the principal celebrant at the Mass, joined by more than 400 priests of the archdiocese and about 60 bishops. Among the prelates were: Cardinals William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and a Los Angeles native; Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, also a Los Angeles native; Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston; Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington; Adam J. Maida, retired archbishop of Detroit; and Juan Cipriani Thorne of Lima, Peru.
At one point he smiled and said, “I cannot believe I am here, my friends—this is awesome.”
The assembly applauded, and then chuckled when he added, glancing at his many family members seated in the front rows, “What is also beautiful is that my family, they are all behaving.”
A minute later, he paused again, this time to collect his emotions as he spoke of his parents, now deceased.
With his sisters and other family members dabbing at moist eyes with tissues, he called upon Our Lady of Guadalupe, “our dear mother, to always pray for us. To her, and to her loving heart, I entrust all of us and my ministry to you. Thank you all for your kind welcome.”
Latest update: June 29, 2011. (Romereports.com) (-ONLY VIDEO-) Archbishop José Horacio Gómez from Los Angeles received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI during a ceremony in the Vatican. Other three American archbishops also received the pallium: Archbishop James Peter Sartain from Seattle; Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley from Oklahoma City; and Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, from San Antonio. Among the 40 new archbishops, also Gerard Cyprien Lacroix, from Québec (Canada) received the pallium. The pallium is a garment used by archbishops as a sign of communion with the Pope.
Hi, an update on Bishop Gómez and Los Angeles! Please, pray for him to be a good pastor of that large diocese. Wendy
**New Head for Los Angeles Archdiocese**
LOS ANGELES, California, MARCH 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Cardinal Roger Mahoney, archbishop of Los Angeles, who reached the age of retirement on Sunday.
The cardinal is succeeded by Archbishop José Gómez, 59, who was appointed coadjutor for that archdiocese last April.
In his blog on the archdiocesan Web site, Cardinal Mahoney stated: “People ask whether I am sad at moving to the new title of ‘Archbishop Emeritus.’ Absolutely not.
“My understanding of the Church is that Jesus Christ remains the heart and center of our Church, and we bishops come and go down through salvation history.”
“We are not called to develop nor to leave ‘legacies,’ but rather, to be faithful to Jesus Christ and the Gospels,” the prelate noted. “We accept the Gospel, we try to live it out and to pass it on, and then we move aside so that the Lord might call others to continue the active work in the vineyard of the Lord.”
Cardinal Mahoney, after celebrating a Mass of transition on Sunday to install Archbishop Gómez, is currently in Rome for meetings with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.