Most Reverend José H. Gomez, S.T.D.
Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles
Most Rev. José H. Gomez was born on December 26,
1951, in Monterrey, Mexico, the son of Dr. José H. Gomez and Esperanza
Velasco, both deceased. He has
three older sisters and one younger sister.
Archbishop Gomez was ordained a priest of the Opus Dei Prelature on August
15, 1978, by the late Cardinal Franz Konig, Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna,
at the Shrine of Torreciudad, Spain.
Archbishop Gomez, holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology.
He earned his accounting degree in 1975 as well as a B.A. in
Philosophy. In 1978, the year
he was ordained a priest, Archbishop Gomez completed his B.A. in Theology at
the University of Navarre, Rome Campus.
He then began working on a Doctorate in Theology at its Main Campus
in Pamplona, Spain, receiving his Doctorate in 1980.
Until his appointment as Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles on April 6,
2010, Archbishop Gomez had been serving as Archbishop of San Antonio since
February 15, 2005. He had
previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Denver, since
his ordination on March 26, 2001.
His Episcopal motto is taken from a scriptural passage of the Letter to the
Hebrews: “Let us go forth with
confidence to the Throne of Grace” (Heb. 4:16).
Before being appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop, Archbishop Gomez’s primary
priestly duty was to minister to lay people.
From 1987 to 1999 he was in residence at Our Lady of Grace Catholic
Church in San Antonio, assisting in he pastoral work of the parish.
During this same timeframe Archbishop Gomez also helped in the then
Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Katy, Texas.
Archbishop Gomez has distinguished himself as a respected national leader
among Hispanic priests in the United States.
In 1991, he became a regional representative of the National
Association of Hispanic Priests (ANSH), an organization which seeks to
strengthen fraternity among the over 2,400 Hispanic priests in the United
States and to communicate the faith effectively among diverse Hispanic
congregations. He was then named President in 1995 and Executive Director
from 1999-2001.
Archbishop Gomez is also an enthusiastic supporter of vocations to the
priesthood and religious life, and constantly encourages all Catholics to
witness their faith in their daily lives.
He currently serves on the Board of St. John Vianney Seminary in
Denver, CO, and is the chairman of the Board for Assumption Seminary in San
Antonio, TX. Recently, he
became a member of the Advisory Board of the National Conference of Diocesan
Vacation Directors.
Archbishop Gomez also spearheaded the establishment of Denver’s 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.
While Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, he served as
Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception from
2001 to 2003. After that, he
was named Moderator of the Curia and Vicar General for the Archdiocese of
Denver and assigned as the Pastor of Mother of
God Catholic Church, in Denver.
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”.
In 2007, he was instrumental in bringing together Latino leaders
and Bishops for the creation of the Catholic Association of Latino
Leaders (C.A.L.L.) . The Associations' purpose is to impact the national
dialogue and to contribute to the mission of the Church, by identifying
initiatives important to the building up of the Catholic community and
supporting them in accordance with the bishops’ directives.
On July 25, 2008 he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultant to
the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, whose purpose is to assist the
human and spiritual needs of the Church in Latin America.
During 2008 and 2009 Archbishop Gomez served as the first chairman of the
new Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church of the USCCB, which was
created to respond to the numerous and urgent needs of Church and society
today, within the context of increasingly diverse cultures and races in our
country.
In March of 2010 Archbishop Gomez participated in a solidarity visit to
Haiti as Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America,
to assess the needs and the support of the Church in the USA to the Church
in Haiti.