Filipino American to Be Ordained Bishop in L.A.

The Los Angeles archdiocese will soon ordain the first Filipino American bishop in the nation, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony announced Thursday.

Father Oscar A. Solis will serve as auxiliary bishop overseeing a wide range of outreach programs, including those serving 600,000 Filipinos and other ethnic groups, Mahony said.

Solis, 50, is pastor of St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux, La., where he has served since 1988. Born in San Jose, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in his hometown in 1979. His ordination as bishop on Feb. 10 will be the first such ceremony in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

“My unsuspecting and surprised appointment as the first Filipino American bishop comes with excitement but also with great trepidation,” Solis told reporters at a news conference in the cathedral. “It is ... a wonderful recognition, as well as an affirmation of the various cultural treasurers that comprise, enliven and enrich our universal church.”

As coordinator of outreach ministries to ethnic groups, Solis will face a formidable challenge. The Los Angeles archdiocese is the nation’s largest and most ethnically diverse. Each Sunday, Mass is celebrated in the archdiocese in 42 languages.

Mahony said he welcomed the pope’s appointment of Solis “with great joy.” He added that he had wanted for some time to “harmonize” pastoral outreach efforts to all Catholic groups in the archdiocese, which includes Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

In September 2002, the archdiocese laid off at least 60 employees and began shutting down headquarters ministries -- including ministries to ethnic groups -- because of what was reported to be a $4.3-million deficit. Four months later, the deficit increased to at least $5.7 million, in large part because of investment setbacks in the stock market, but also because the archdiocese had to save money to settle sexual abuse lawsuits.

The cuts provoked outcries, including some from priests who confronted Mahony during a private meeting in October 2002, some of whom called Mahony’s management style “paternalistic” and “unilateral.” Mahony later apologized to priests.

The outreach work is being shifted to local parishes and regions within the archdiocese.

Asked Thursday if there would be any future decrease in funds for such ministries, Mahony said that one of Solis’ first assignments would be to develop a coordinating committee to determine how such ministries can be operated most effectively.

Solis, asked how he might reassure Catholics shaken by the sexual abuse scandal, said “by a ministry of presence.”