2 Catholic Clerics Named Bishops of Stockton, Boise

Two Southern California Roman Catholic auxiliary bishops, the Most Revs. Stephen E. Blaire of Los Angeles and Michael P. Driscoll of Orange, have been appointed by Pope John Paul II to head their own dioceses.

Blaire, 57, will become the bishop of the six-county Stockton diocese, succeeding the Most Rev. Donald W. Montrose, 75, who is retiring. Driscoll, 59, will become bishop of Boise, succeeding the Most Rev. Tod D. Brown, who became bishop of Orange in June.

In becoming head of the 10,000-square-mile Stockton diocese--which was once led by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles--Blaire will have fewer priests and parishes under his jurisdiction than he now does as an auxiliary bishop in the Los Angeles archdiocese, the nation’s largest. There are 78 parishes in his Los Angeles region, compared to 32 in the Stockton diocese, which includes the counties of Alpine, Calaveras, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne.

The Boise diocese covers the entire state of Idaho.

Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, applauded the appointments, and noted that both Blaire and Driscoll have spoken out in defense of immigrants. Mahony said Blaire’s priesthood has been marked with “extraordinary generosity,” and he said Driscoll will bring to Boise an “extraordinary sense of enthusiasm for his ministry.”

Meeting with reporters in Stockton on Tuesday, Blaire called the church “a sign and instrument for the unity of the human family. As a church we are dedicated to the work of justice and peace for all peoples.”

In Boise, Driscoll noted at a news conference that Idaho’s former bishop, Brown, was now the bishop of Orange. “I was expecting to share ministry with him in Orange for many years into the future. God has determined otherwise.”

Blaire was ordained to the priesthood in 1967 and became an auxiliary bishop in 1990. In his early years, he taught at Catholic high schools and later became principal of Alemany High School in Mission Hills. In 1986 Blaire was appointed moderator of the local curia and chancellor of the Los Angeles archdiocese. He was serving in those positions when he was named auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles in 1990.

Driscoll was ordained a priest in 1965 and served as an associate pastor of parishes in Los Angeles and Burbank. He also served as chancellor, vicar for religious (orders) and vicar for charities in the Diocese of Orange and was serving as vicar general of the Diocese of Orange when he was named auxiliary bishop of Orange in December 1989.

There are 180,678 Catholics in the Stockton diocese, and 120,000 in the Boise diocese.