Latino, Black Are Among 3 New L.A. Auxiliary Bishops

In a continuing effort to reach out to the area’s ethnically diverse Roman Catholic population, a Latino and a black were among three auxiliary bishops appointed Monday for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the most populous and heavily Latino archdiocese in the United States.

The three priests, who were appointed by Pope John Paul II, will join two other bishops in helping Archbishop Roger M. Mahony in administrating the five “pastoral” regions that compose the vast archdiocese. Nearly 3 million Catholics--60% of them Latinos--reside within the archdiocese in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Two of the three new auxiliary bishops are fluent in Spanish.

“The appointments represent in a very significant way the concern of (the Pope) for the ethnic diversity of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,” said Mahony, who added that he was pleased with the selections.

Appointed were:

- Msgr. Armando Ochoa, 43, currently pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Lincoln Heights and director of the archdiocese’s ethnic ministry services. A native of Oxnard, he will head the pastoral region in the San Fernando Valley.

- Father P. Carl Fisher, 41, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Baltimore, the oldest black Roman Catholic parish in the country. Fisher, who is black, will direct the San Pedro region, which includes Torrance, Downey, Long Beach and other communities south of Imperial Highway.

- Father Patrick Ziemann, 45, vice rector and dean of studies at Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary in Los Angeles. Ziemann, a native of Pasadena who speaks Spanish, will head the Santa Barbara region, where some of the most dramatic growth within the archdiocese has taken place.

The trio will join the two other auxiliary bishops under Mahony--Bishop John Ward, who is head of the Central City region, and Bishop Juan Arzube, who directs the pastoral region in the San Gabriel Valley.

The five pastoral regions were created earlier this year after a task force recommended to Mahony that the archdiocese be divided into smaller units, each to be headed by an auxiliary bishop, to improve management and to bring the church closer to parishioners.

Mahony has instituted other changes, among them last year was the creation of an executive-level cabinet, to help him manage the archdiocese.

Ochoa’s promotion gives the Los Angeles archdiocese a second Latino bishop, giving impetus to Mahony’s drive to attract many Spanish-speakers, who may consider themselves Catholics in name only, to actively participate in the church.

Just last summer, a daylong religious rally and services aimed at Latino Catholics, Celebracion ‘86, took place at Dodger Stadium at Mahony’s behest.

The appointment of Fisher, who becomes the first black bishop in the Western United States, may help the church become more relevant for blacks, archdiocese officials said.

There are 50,000 black Roman Catholics in Los Angeles--the third-highest figure in the nation--and archdiocese officials say that number could grow with Fisher’s appointment.

A native of Pascagoula, Miss., Fisher said he was actively involved in Baltimore’s version of parish-based activist groups, such as the United Neighborhoods Organization (UNO) and the South Central Organizing Committee (SCOC) in Los Angeles.

The three priests will be ordained as auxiliary bishops at St. Vibiana’s Cathedral in Los Angeles on Feb. 23.