Bishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone Named as Fourth Bishop of Oakland

Diocese of Oakland – Mar. 23, 2009

OAKLAND, Calif. — Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, 52, as the Fourth Bishop of Oakland. Bishop Cordileone until now has been Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego. His installation as Bishop of Oakland will take place at noon on May 5, 2009 at Oakland’s Cathedral of Christ the Light.

On January 5, 2009, Oakland’s Bishop Allen Vigneron was appointed Archbishop of Detroit and was installed in that office on January 28. At that time priests in Oakland’s College of Consultors elected Fr. Daniel E. Danielson as Diocesan Administrator, to manage day-to-day business of the Diocese until a new bishop was named.

Statement by Bishop Salvatore Cordileone

I am grateful to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, as well as humbled and honored, for the trust he has placed in me in naming me the fourth Bishop of Oakland. I ask for your prayers especially at this time, that I prove myself to be worthy of this trust.

I am grateful as well to Bishop Robert Brom of San Diego, and to all of the good priests and people of San Diego for their guidance, friendship and support to me over the years, which has helped me to grow in my own faith and meet the challenges of ministry in the Church.

Last but not least, I thank the Diocesan Administrator, Fr. Danielson, for keeping the Diocese running during the vacancy of the See, and I look forward to working with him and the leadership in the Diocese during this time of transition and beyond, as we go forward to build God’s Kingdom in our communities, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

The need is certainly great, as has been tragically highlighted by the recent outburst of violence. My heart goes out to the families of the four slain police officers, and my prayers are with them that, through faith in the God of life, they may find peace in the midst of suffering, light in the midst of darkness, hope in the midst of despair. In so many ways we live in a deeply wounded culture in need of much healing, but we are not without hope. Let us work and pray together, so that God’s light can guide us to the peace and reconciliation we so need and desire.

It is my hope that my new ministry here in Oakland will be served well by my previous experience of ministry at the parish, diocesan and universal levels in the life of the Church, and most especially the years I served as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Calexico, on the Mexican border. The rich cultural diversity of our Church should serve as a sign that the Church speaks all languages, and as a blessing to bring the healing light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples. Unidos en Cristo, caminemos adelante en la grande obra de la salvación, proclamando en este año de San Pablo que hay un solo Señor, una sola fe, un solo bautismo, un solo Dios Salvador.

I thank you all, and again ask for your prayers, that God may bless the good work begun here in Oakland, and, with us working together, may bring it to completion.

• Diocese of Oakland web site

The Bishop is the steward of grace of the supreme priesthood, especially in the Eucharist…. The Eucharist is the center of life of the particular Church. The Bishop and priests sanctify the Church by their prayer and work, by their ministry of the word and of the sacraments. They sanctify her by their example, not as domineering over those in their charge but being examples to the flock. Thus, together with the flock entrusted to them, they may attain to eternal life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #893) O’Meara Ferguson welcomes Bishop Cordileone to his new ministry as Bishop of Oakland. We promise our prayerful support as he assumes his new responsibility as a “steward of grace” for the Church of Oakland.