J. Jon Bruno
Encyclopedia
J. Jon Bruno is the Episcopal Bishop
of Los Angeles
.
November 17, 1946 to Dorothy and Joseph J. Bruno. Together with his sister, Bishop Bruno was raised in Los Angeles and attended local city schools.
Bruno holds a license in criminology from California State University, Long Beach
(1972) and a bachelor's degree in physical education from California State University, Los Angeles
(1974). He holds a Master of Divinity degree (1977) from the Virginia Theological Seminary, which also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 2001.
Bruno was a police officer in the city of Burbank, Calif. He was also briefly a professional football player under contract to the Denver Broncos
before an injury sustained early on prevented further activity with the team.
From 1977 to 1979, Bruno was parish associate at St. Patrick's Church in Thousand Oaks, California
. He was associate at St. Mary's Church in Eugene, Oregon
from 1979 to 1980, while concurrently vicar of St. Teresa's in Junction City, Oregon
. He was active both in building church facilities and new congregations. In 1980, he left St. Mary's to help form St. Matthew's Church, also in Eugene, where he served as Vicar for several years before returning to California. From 1983 to 1986, he was associate at St. Paul's Church in Pomona, California
.
He was named rector of St. Athanasius' Parish in 1986, and there collaborated with Bishop Borsch
in construction of the Cathedral Center on the parish's lakefront site in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. As pastor of this congregation, Bruno continued his advocacy for youth and families, for gang diversion, and for immigration equity, and worked in the wider sphere of human rights.
He served for eight years as Provost of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles and as Pastor to its multilingual Congregation of St. Athanasius, which dates from 1864 as the oldest Episcopal parish in Southern California. While Provost, Bruno chaired the board of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union. He was vice-chair of the Nehemiah West Housing Corporation, which has built 300 single-family dwellings for purchase by low- and moderate-income families.
Bruno was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Los Angeles on November 13, 1999. Within Episcopal Church polity, a Bishop Coadjutor is elected to succeed a Bishop Diocesan at such time as the latter chooses to retire.
From 1990 to 1993, Bruno served the Diocese of Los Angeles as its missioner for stewardship and development. He was an elected deputy to the national church's 2000 General Convention
, having assisted in the Convention's operations and security services for several years.
He is founder of the Institute for Urban Research and Development, the work of which is now related to Episcopal Housing and Economic Development, an institution of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
As Bishop, Bruno has launched the "Hands in Healing" initiative for education and action related to eradicating violence in local, regional, national, and international contexts.
Bishop Bruno is a member of the wider Episcopal Church's Executive Council, as well as the Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders. He is board chairman and honorary chairman of various diocesan institutions.
.
He is the first native Angeleno to be elected Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, which was established in 1895.
, Bishop Bruno is married to Mary Bruno, a law administrator and human resources professional in Los Angeles. Their family includes three adult children and five grandchildren.
The Diocese promotes affordable housing and entrepreneurship in Southern California through the Episcopal Housing Alliance and Economic Development. A major project is Chefs Center of California, a small-business incubator in Pasadena, California, that enables culinary entrepreneurs to start and accelerate the successful growth of their enterprises. Primary financial support for the Chefs Center is provided by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation
, which has contributed $1,350,000 to the incubator.
Bishop Bruno, in collaboration with the Reverend Bryan Jones of Long Beach, published a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times
, California section, on July 23, 2006. Titled Open Hearted, Open Minded Christianity, the tract called for an inclusive Christianity based on loving God and loving one's neighbor as oneself. With Malcolm Boyd, Bishop Bruno is co-author of the book "In Times Like These: How We Pray" (New York: Church Publishing, 2005).
Bishop Bruno has called for Southland Episcopalians to be people on a mission for the Christian faith. At the outset of his tenure as bishop, he identified the "FACTS" of such a mission to be Formation in faith, a sense of the Abundance of God's generosity, Competence, Truth and Service. In his call to mission, Bishop Bruno encourages clergy and laypersons to "plan and prepare for God's service; work for abundance; and care for the community as we would care for Jesus."
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Early life and education
Joseph Jon Bruno was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
November 17, 1946 to Dorothy and Joseph J. Bruno. Together with his sister, Bishop Bruno was raised in Los Angeles and attended local city schools.
Bruno holds a license in criminology from California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
(1972) and a bachelor's degree in physical education from California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university, part of the California State University system...
(1974). He holds a Master of Divinity degree (1977) from the Virginia Theological Seminary, which also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 2001.
Bruno was a police officer in the city of Burbank, Calif. He was also briefly a professional football player under contract to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
before an injury sustained early on prevented further activity with the team.
Priesthood
Bruno was ordained to the priesthood in 1978 in the Diocese of Los Angeles by its fourth bishop, the Rt. Rev. Robert Claflin Rusack.From 1977 to 1979, Bruno was parish associate at St. Patrick's Church in Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
. He was associate at St. Mary's Church in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
from 1979 to 1980, while concurrently vicar of St. Teresa's in Junction City, Oregon
Junction City, Oregon
Junction City is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,392 at the 2010 census.- History :In the 1870s, Junction City was named by railroad magnate Ben Holladay, who decided this would be where the rail line on the east side of the Willamette Valley would meet the rail...
. He was active both in building church facilities and new congregations. In 1980, he left St. Mary's to help form St. Matthew's Church, also in Eugene, where he served as Vicar for several years before returning to California. From 1983 to 1986, he was associate at St. Paul's Church in Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
.
He was named rector of St. Athanasius' Parish in 1986, and there collaborated with Bishop Borsch
Frederick Borsch
Frederick Houk Borsch was the Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles from 1988 to 2002, then served as interim dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University and Chair of Anglican studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia...
in construction of the Cathedral Center on the parish's lakefront site in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. As pastor of this congregation, Bruno continued his advocacy for youth and families, for gang diversion, and for immigration equity, and worked in the wider sphere of human rights.
He served for eight years as Provost of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles and as Pastor to its multilingual Congregation of St. Athanasius, which dates from 1864 as the oldest Episcopal parish in Southern California. While Provost, Bruno chaired the board of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union. He was vice-chair of the Nehemiah West Housing Corporation, which has built 300 single-family dwellings for purchase by low- and moderate-income families.
Bruno was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Los Angeles on November 13, 1999. Within Episcopal Church polity, a Bishop Coadjutor is elected to succeed a Bishop Diocesan at such time as the latter chooses to retire.
From 1990 to 1993, Bruno served the Diocese of Los Angeles as its missioner for stewardship and development. He was an elected deputy to the national church's 2000 General Convention
General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church. General Convention...
, having assisted in the Convention's operations and security services for several years.
He is founder of the Institute for Urban Research and Development, the work of which is now related to Episcopal Housing and Economic Development, an institution of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
As Bishop, Bruno has launched the "Hands in Healing" initiative for education and action related to eradicating violence in local, regional, national, and international contexts.
Bishop Bruno is a member of the wider Episcopal Church's Executive Council, as well as the Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders. He is board chairman and honorary chairman of various diocesan institutions.
Bishop
Bishop Bruno was ordained to the episcopate on April 29, 2000, in a liturgy at the Los Angeles Convention Center. He was seated February 1, 2002, surrounded by more than 1,000 Episcopalians and guests who joined hands around Echo Park LakeEcho Park, Los Angeles, California
Echo Park is a hilly neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and southeast of Hollywood.-History:At the end of the 19th century, when the hills were still covered with native vegetation, a horse-drawn streetcar line served the dirt road that is now Echo Park Avenue...
.
He is the first native Angeleno to be elected Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, which was established in 1895.
Personal information
A resident of Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, Bishop Bruno is married to Mary Bruno, a law administrator and human resources professional in Los Angeles. Their family includes three adult children and five grandchildren.
Church and philosophy
The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Los Angeles serves 70,000 Episcopalians in 148 congregations located in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, and part of Riverside County. Served by some 400 clergy, the Diocese also includes over 40 Episcopal schools and some 20 social-service and chaplaincy institutions.The Diocese promotes affordable housing and entrepreneurship in Southern California through the Episcopal Housing Alliance and Economic Development. A major project is Chefs Center of California, a small-business incubator in Pasadena, California, that enables culinary entrepreneurs to start and accelerate the successful growth of their enterprises. Primary financial support for the Chefs Center is provided by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation
The Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation
The Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation is the private foundation of Henry Nicholas, a philanthropist, victims' rights advocate, and co-founder and former co-chairman, president, and CEO of Broadcom Corporation....
, which has contributed $1,350,000 to the incubator.
Bishop Bruno, in collaboration with the Reverend Bryan Jones of Long Beach, published a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, California section, on July 23, 2006. Titled Open Hearted, Open Minded Christianity, the tract called for an inclusive Christianity based on loving God and loving one's neighbor as oneself. With Malcolm Boyd, Bishop Bruno is co-author of the book "In Times Like These: How We Pray" (New York: Church Publishing, 2005).
Bishop Bruno has called for Southland Episcopalians to be people on a mission for the Christian faith. At the outset of his tenure as bishop, he identified the "FACTS" of such a mission to be Formation in faith, a sense of the Abundance of God's generosity, Competence, Truth and Service. In his call to mission, Bishop Bruno encourages clergy and laypersons to "plan and prepare for God's service; work for abundance; and care for the community as we would care for Jesus."