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IN THE DIOCESE
Statement of Bishop
Patrick J. McGrath
It was with great joy that I received
news that Pope Francis has appointed
Bishop Oscar Cantú, currently Bishop
of Las Cruces in New Mexico, as Co-
adjutor Bishop of San Jose.
I congratulate Bishop Cantú on
his appointment and thank him for
his willingness to come west. I look
forward to collaborating with him in
our ministry of service to the people
of this local Church.
As we prepare to welcome Bishop
Cantú to San Jose, I ask the people of
this Diocese and all of our brothers
and sisters in the Roman Catholic
Church to join us in praying for
Bishop Cantú.
I know that the new bishop will
be eager to come to know the people
of the parishes, schools and other in-
stitutions of the Diocese, and that he
will be as impressed with the work of
the clergy, religious and laity as I am.
We will celebrate the Mass of
Welcome for Bishop Cantú at the
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph on
September 28, 2018.
August 21, 2018 | The Valley Catholic
Statement of Bishop Cantú
In the Gospel of John, when John
the Baptist saw Jesus walking by, he
urged two of his disciples to follow
him. “There is the Lamb of God,” he
said. “Follow him.” Those two disci-
ples were following John for a reason.
John spoke to their hearts. Their hearts
yearned for something greater in
their lives, something that gave them
hope, something that made their lives
meaningful. John promised that that
something was actually someone, one
who was coming. When he came, John
pointed him out. His work was done.
Some months ago, I attended a
conference that studied issues of the
upcoming Synod on Youth, Vocations,
and Discernment. One of the sessions
treated the issue of the “nones,” those
persons who don’t associate with any
religion. Sadly, a great number of them
are baptized Catholics. We’ve known
about this reality for some time. Un-
fortunately, new statistics show us that
the average age of those disassociating
from the Church is thirteen! That’s not
the early age, but the average age. If
this isn’t a wake up call for the Church,
them we might as well roll over into
our graves! It certainly woke me up.
This is a wake up call not only to
talk about the new Evangelization –
new methods, new zeal, new language
– but begin living it! It begins, it con-
tinues, and it ends with an encounter
with Jesus Christ. Oscar Cantu is chal-
lenged to encounter Jesus Christ every
day, to allow my life to be challenged
and transformed by him. One of the
fruits of this encounter is mission,
joyful mission.
As I arrive in San Jose, I look for-
ward to continuing the mission of the
Church in this beautiful part of the
world that goes by the name of a man
whose own life was transformed by
his encounter with a young virgin
and the Son she bore. As Jesus invited
those first two disciples on a journey,
“Come and see,” he told them, he
invites you and me to follow him on
a journey of discovery, of wonder, of
faith, paved by steps of hope and love.
I look forward to getting to know you
and working with you.
I must confess that at the moment
my heart is in Las Cruces, in southern
New Mexico. I didn’t only fall in love
with the breathtaking landscape, the
spicy food – the people have stolen my
heart. They loved me as only siblings
can love a brother. I’m grateful to them
for their healing, strength inducing
love. And so my heart remains with
them.
But I need not despair. The Lord
says, “I will give you a new heart and
sprinkle clean water upon you.” The
Lord will give me a new heart for a
new corner of his vineyard.
San Jose, pray for us!