3 auxiliary bishops picked by Pope Francis are ordained in Los Angeles

Three auxiliary bishops chosen by the Vatican to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles were ordained Tuesday during a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.

Two of the new auxiliary bishops, David O’Connell and Joseph Brennan, were already based in Los Angeles. The third, Robert Barron, was the rector and president of Mundelein Seminary University of St. Mary of the Lake in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Auxiliary bishops are appointed to assist a diocesan bishop in his duties.

All three were chosen by Pope Francis in July, following the retirement of Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, auxiliary bishop for the San Fernando pastoral region.

The appointments marked an understanding about the important demographic shift within the Roman Catholic Church, Gomez told the Los Angeles Times.

The new bishops, he said, speak Spanish and have worked with both young Catholics and immigrant parishioners. More than one-third of the church now identifies as Latino, and that proportion is expected to grow significantly as the white Catholic population ages and shrinks, according to the Pew Research Center.

“I think they are wonderful priests,” Gomez said. “They are well-equipped to help us with the new face of the Church.”

O’Connell, who is from County Cork, Ireland, was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. He has served in churches mostly in South Los Angeles and sits on the archdiocese’s pastoral committee on immigration. He is to work as the episcopal vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region.

Brennan has served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for three years. He is becoming the episcopal vicar for the San Fernando Pastoral Region, replacing Wilkerson.

Barron, who will serve as episcopal vicar for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region, is known for founding the online ministry “Word on Fire.”

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