Diocese of Phoenix ordains first auxiliary bishop
By Andrew Junker | July 20, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
AVONDALE — Eduardo Alanís Nevares was ordained a bishop July 19 during a three-hour long Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. He will assist Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and serve the Diocese of Phoenix as its first auxiliary bishop.
“I come with great faith and great trust,” Bishop Nevares said after the Mass. “I’m going to go around preaching the Gospel to everyone.”
The day was historic for the diocese not only because Bishop Nevares is its first auxiliary bishop, but also because he is its first Hispanic bishop. In light of the recent immigration law SB 1070, many have seen the bishop’s appointment as heaven-sent — a fact he alluded to after Mass.
Describing himself as a “bridge person” who can draw people together, Bishop Nevares said the timing of his new assignment is something “providential.”
“I will help Bishop Olmsted,”Bishop Nevares said. “He has asked especially that I animate the Hispanic community and raise up men and women to the priesthood and religious life.”
At the same time, the newly ordained bishop stressed that he will not just be a bishop for Hispanic Catholics.
“He’s here to serve everybody,” said Jose Robles, director of Hispanic Ministry for the diocese.
During the Mass, Bishop Nevares was greeted by a number of different local ethnic groups, including Chinese, Korean, Sudanese, Tongan, Native American and more.
“I must admit that now I know I am not in Tyler,” the bishop joked about his previous diocese in east Texas after the procession ended. “I’ve never been greeted by so many beautiful ethnic groups.”
During his homily, Bishop Olmsted encouraged his new auxiliary to view his office as one of service, not of prestige.
“It is our privilege and our duty to serve and not to be served, to put others’ needs ahead of our own, and to resist all temptations to lord it over anyone,” Bishop Olmsted said.
“This is the example that the Lord Jesus left for us, when he washed the feet of the Apostles, and then said to them, ‘What I just did was to give you an example: as I have done, so you must do,’” he said.
Bishop Olmsted also emphasized the need for a bishop to live without fear, and quoted the famous Polish Cardinal Wyszynski who said, “Lack of courage in a bishop is the beginning of a disaster.”
“It is our honor and privilege, as well as our first obligation, to make known the Gospel of Christ in all its purity and integrity,” he said.
After the homily, Bishop Nevares knelt before Bishop Olmsted while two deacons held the Book of Gospels over his head. Bishop Olmsted then anointed Bishop Nevares’ forehead with oil. Finally, more than 20 visiting bishops — including Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles — laid their hands on the new bishop’s head and prayed for him.
At one part during the Mass, the soon to be ordained bishop lay prostrate in front of the altar while the congregation chanted the Litany of Saints, an emotional and profound moment for him.
“God, here’s my life. It’s for you,” Bishop Nevares described his thoughts during the liturgy.
A number of priests, friends and family from Texas attended the ordination. Bishop Olmsted credited the Nevares family a number of times during Mass for supporting Bishop Nevares’ vocation. He said he looked forward to their future visits to the Valley.
“Nuestra casa es su casa,” the bishop said.
Bishop Nevares’ parents were Mexican immigrants who came to the United States while he was in the womb. Born and raised in Houston, the 11-year-old future bishop was inspired by a visiting missionary who talked of his work in Madagascar.
As a teenager, he attended a junior seminary for the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, into whose order he was ordained a priest in 1981. In 2007, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Tyler, where he had been serving for years.
Known for his outreach to Hispanics, Bishop Nevares formed the area’s first Spanish-speaking program to train men to be permanent deacons.
It’s this reputation that has excited so many local Hispanics since learning of his appointment in Phoenix.
“We have someone like ourselves in this position. We can identify with him,” said Manuel Torres Caballero, a parishioner at St. Martin de Porres. “We feel that also with our Bishop Olmsted, because he speaks Spanish, but with Bishop Nevares, we get something else. I don’t know how to describe it.”
Caballero said it’s a difficult and fraught time for Hispanics locally and Bishop Nevares’ ordination provides some joy and hope.
“We feel hope in a difficult time, joy and happiness,” he said. “We feel supported."
More: www.catholicsun.org
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rewrite this content to 50 words Diocese of Phoenix ordains first auxiliary bishop
By Andrew Junker | July 20, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
AVONDALE — Eduardo Alanís Nevares was ordained a bishop July 19 during a three-hour long Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. He will assist Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and serve the Diocese of Phoenix as its first auxiliary bishop.
“I come with great faith and great trust,” Bishop Nevares said after the Mass. “I’m going to go around preaching the Gospel to everyone.”
The day was historic for the diocese not only because Bishop Nevares is its first auxiliary bishop, but also because he is its first Hispanic bishop. In light of the recent immigration law SB 1070, many have seen the bishop’s appointment as heaven-sent — a fact he alluded to after Mass.
Describing himself as a “bridge person” who can draw people together, Bishop Nevares said the timing of his new assignment is something “providential.”
“I will help Bishop Olmsted,”Bishop Nevares said. “He has asked especially that I animate the Hispanic community and raise up men and women to the priesthood and religious life.”
At the same time, the newly ordained bishop stressed that he will not just be a bishop for Hispanic Catholics.
“He’s here to serve everybody,” said Jose Robles, director of Hispanic Ministry for the diocese.
During the Mass, Bishop Nevares was greeted by a number of different local ethnic groups, including Chinese, Korean, Sudanese, Tongan, Native American and more.
“I must admit that now I know I am not in Tyler,” the bishop joked about his previous diocese in east Texas after the procession ended. “I’ve never been greeted by so many beautiful ethnic groups.”
During his homily, Bishop Olmsted encouraged his new auxiliary to view his office as one of service, not of prestige.
“It is our privilege and our duty to serve and not to be served, to put others’ needs ahead of our own, and to resist all temptations to lord it over anyone,” Bishop Olmsted said.
“This is the example that the Lord Jesus left for us, when he washed the feet of the Apostles, and then said to them, ‘What I just did was to give you an example: as I have done, so you must do,’” he said.
Bishop Olmsted also emphasized the need for a bishop to live without fear, and quoted the famous Polish Cardinal Wyszynski who said, “Lack of courage in a bishop is the beginning of a disaster.”
“It is our honor and privilege, as well as our first obligation, to make known the Gospel of Christ in all its purity and integrity,” he said.
After the homily, Bishop Nevares knelt before Bishop Olmsted while two deacons held the Book of Gospels over his head. Bishop Olmsted then anointed Bishop Nevares’ forehead with oil. Finally, more than 20 visiting bishops — including Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles — laid their hands on the new bishop’s head and prayed for him.
At one part during the Mass, the soon to be ordained bishop lay prostrate in front of the altar while the congregation chanted the Litany of Saints, an emotional and profound moment for him.
“God, here’s my life. It’s for you,” Bishop Nevares described his thoughts during the liturgy.
A number of priests, friends and family from Texas attended the ordination. Bishop Olmsted credited the Nevares family a number of times during Mass for supporting Bishop Nevares’ vocation. He said he looked forward to their future visits to the Valley.
“Nuestra casa es su casa,” the bishop said.
Bishop Nevares’ parents were Mexican immigrants who came to the United States while he was in the womb. Born and raised in Houston, the 11-year-old future bishop was inspired by a visiting missionary who talked of his work in Madagascar.
As a teenager, he attended a junior seminary for the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, into whose order he was ordained a priest in 1981. In 2007, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Tyler, where he had been serving for years.
Known for his outreach to Hispanics, Bishop Nevares formed the area’s first Spanish-speaking program to train men to be permanent deacons.
It’s this reputation that has excited so many local Hispanics since learning of his appointment in Phoenix.
“We have someone like ourselves in this position. We can identify with him,” said Manuel Torres Caballero, a parishioner at St. Martin de Porres. “We feel that also with our Bishop Olmsted, because he speaks Spanish, but with Bishop Nevares, we get something else. I don’t know how to describe it.”
Caballero said it’s a difficult and fraught time for Hispanics locally and Bishop Nevares’ ordination provides some joy and hope.
“We feel hope in a difficult time, joy and happiness,” he said. “We feel supported."
More: www.catholicsun.org
ORDERING INFORMATION
Looking for a glossy/matte copy of this photo? Please call 602-354-2140 or send an e-mail for ordering information. Please note the photo’s title when ordering. Download the order form here.
Copyright 2006-2010 The Catholic Sun. All rights reserved. This photo and all photos on this Web site credited to The Catholic Sun are provided for personal use only and may not be published, broadcasted, transmitted or sold without the expressed consent of The Catholic Sun.
Posted by The Catholic Sun on 2010-08-06 14:47:24
Tagged: , July , 2010 , The Catholic Sun , Catholic , newspaper , Arizona , Phoenix Diocese , Diocese of Phoenix , religion , Catholicism , episcopal , ordination , Mass , bishop , St. Thomas Aquinas Parish , Avondale , priests , ceremony , Bishop Nevares , auxiliary
