Mahony Names Cabinet to Help Run Archdiocese

Roman Catholic Archbishop Roger M. Mahony announced today the appointment of a new administrative cabinet for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, extending his leadership style of “management by participation” by creating eight new posts, including a secretariat for ethnic ministries.

No present official below the cabinet level will be eliminated under the plan, which will go into effect by July 1. Six of the cabinet members are priests. Another is a nun, and the finance officer is a layman.

“This is not a new model,” said Father Joseph Battaglia, director of archdiocese communications. “It is patterned after archdiocesan administration in Boston, Chicago and Cleveland--but it is clearly new in Los Angeles.”

Administration Studied

Soon after his installation last September as leader of the nation’s most populous archdiocese, Mahony set up a task force to study expansion of its administration.

On June 1 he announced a sweeping plan to meet the spiritual, social and economic needs of the estimated 2 million Latinos within the three-county archdiocese of nearly 3 million Catholics.

And an overall “archdiocesan pastoral plan,” based on questionnaires asking parishioners what goals they think should be pursued in the next five years, is scheduled for presentation Nov. 1 and 2.

The new cabinet, designed to implement the reorganization, includes seven secretariats:

- Msgr. Armando Ochoa, while continuing to serve as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Los Angeles, will direct ethnic ministry services to the black, Latino, Asian and European Catholic communities.

- Msgr. Jeremiah T. Murphy will leave his job as superintendent of church high schools and colleges to direct chancery operations, including the archives, arbitration and mediation for archdiocesan employees, communications, cemeteries, planning and research, and legal services.

- Sister Cecilia Louise Moore, associate superintendent of secondary schools, will leave that post to coordinate religious education, elementary and secondary schools and the campus ministry.

- Msgr. William Barry, remaining a pastor in Claremont, will direct the secretariat for pastoral and parish services, which includes worship and liturgy, family life, parish councils, ministry to the handicapped and various lay movements and organizations.

- Msgr. Patrick O’Brien, retaining his pastorate in Ventura, will coordinate Catholic charities; health-care, social and prison services; interreligious affairs, and anti-abortion activities.

- Father Stephen Blaire will leave his job as principal of Alemany High School in Mission Hills to head ministerial services for the priests, nuns and brothers of the archdiocese as well as coordinate seminary recruitment and activities.

- Jose Debasa, a layman from Santa Clara who became the archdiocesan finance officer Feb. 1, will oversee the finance and personnel services secretariat.

Auxiliary Bishop William J. Levada of the San Fernando Pastoral Region will temporarily assist Mahony in pastoral, administration and secretarial duties until the new administrative plan is fully implemented. The position, “moderator of the curia and chancellor of the archdiocese,” is mandated under church law.

Mahony also appointed William M. Wardlaw of the Los Angeles law firm of Riordan & McKinzie as the archdiocese’s legal counsel, replacing Joseph J. Brandlin.