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Bishop Cantú Leaving Las Cruces

Bishop Oscar Cantu
archdiocesesantafe.org
/
New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops

  Pope Francis announced today that he has appointed BishopOscar Cantú as the Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose, California. Here is a statement provided by the Las Cruces Diocese:

 

Bishop Cantú will succeed the present bishop of San Jose, Most Reverend Patrick McGrath, upon his retirement. A Mass of Welcome is scheduled for Bishop Cantú on Friday, September 28, in San Jose. Bishop Cantú remains the bishop of Las Cruces until September 28.

“From my first days in the Diocese of Las Cruces, I have grown to love the people and their faithfulness that is displayed throughout our communities,” said Bishop Cantú. “As I respond to the Holy Father’s call to serve in a larger diocese, I ask for those within the Diocese of Las Cruces to pray for me and to be assured that I will continue to keep them in my prayers.”

 

Bishop Cantú was appointed Bishop of Las Cruces on January 10, 2013 and was installed as the second bishop of the diocese on February 28, 2013, succeeding Bishop Ricardo Ramirez— who was the founding bishop of the Diocese of Las Cruces. During his tenure in Las Cruces, Bishop Cantú also served as the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, where he paid solidarity visits to the Church in troubled parts of the world and advocated for policy to bring peace and justice to those areas.

The Diocese of San Jose was established on January 27, 1981, just one year prior to the formation of the Diocese of Las Cruces. In San Jose, Bishop Cantú will shepherd a mostly-urban diocese that encompasses Santa Clara County—an area that is known today as Silicon Valley— with a population of over 688,000 Catholics.