Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Encyclopedia
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Headquartered in 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...

, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...

 and Ventura
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called "COLA" and the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States...

 in Los Angeles, and its present archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 is José Horacio Gómez
José Horacio Gomez
José Horacio Gómez is a Mexican-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, currently serving as the Archbishop of Los Angeles. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver from 2001–2004 and as Archbishop of San Antonio from 2004–2010.Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Gómez was...

. With approximately five million professing members, the archdiocese considers itself the largest diocese in the United States in terms of congregant population.

The Archbishop of Los Angeles also serves as metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...

 of the suffragan diocese
Suffragan Diocese
A suffragan diocese is a diocese in the Catholic Church that is overseen not only by its own diocesan bishop but also by a metropolitan bishop. The metropolitan is always an archbishop who governs his own archdiocese...

s within the Ecclesiastical Province of Los Angeles, which includes the Dioceses of Fresno
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States, in the State of California. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles...

, Monterey
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the United States of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Coast region of California...

, Orange
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church whose territory comprises the whole of Orange County, California, in the United States...

, San Bernardino
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino is a Roman Catholic diocese centered in San Bernardino, California. It was founded on July 14, 1978, and comprises San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Diocese of San Bernardino formerly was part of the Diocese of San Diego...

, and San Diego
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...

.

The see was created when the Diocese of Monterey was renamed to become the conjoined Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles on July 7, 1859. It split to become the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey-Fresno
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey-Fresno was formerly a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in California, United States. The diocese was composed of the present dioceses of Monterey and Fresno The diocese was erected in 1922—split off from the former Diocese of Monterey-Los...

 and the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego on June 1, 1922. With the exponential growth of the Roman Catholic population in the region, another split was promulgated on July 11, 1936 creating the Diocese of San Diego
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...

 and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. On March 24, 1976, the Diocese of Orange
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church whose territory comprises the whole of Orange County, California, in the United States...

 was created from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the present area of the archdiocese was established.

Archbishop

The archdiocese is led by the archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

, who governs from the mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...

, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called "COLA" and the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States...

. The cathedral was dedicated on September 2, 2002, and replaced the former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, often called St. Vibiana's, is a former cathedral church building and parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...

, damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...

.

The Archbishop of Los Angeles is the metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...

 of the Province of Los Angeles of the Roman Catholic Church. Its suffragans are the dioceses of Fresno
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States, in the State of California. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles...

, Monterey in California
Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the United States of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Coast region of California...

, Orange in California
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church whose territory comprises the whole of Orange County, California, in the United States...

, San Bernardino
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino is a Roman Catholic diocese centered in San Bernardino, California. It was founded on July 14, 1978, and comprises San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Diocese of San Bernardino formerly was part of the Diocese of San Diego...

, and San Diego
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...

. Metropolitan archbishops historically wielded great administrative powers over the suffragan dioceses. Today, such power is only ceremonial and kept as a tradition.

José Gómez
José Horacio Gomez
José Horacio Gómez is a Mexican-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, currently serving as the Archbishop of Los Angeles. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver from 2001–2004 and as Archbishop of San Antonio from 2004–2010.Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Gómez was...

 is the current Archbishop of Los Angeles, having automatically succeeded his predecessor, Cardinal Roger Mahony who served for 25 years, upon the latter's retirement which took effect on March 1, 2011. Previously, Gómez served as Coadjutor Archbishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 of Los Angeles since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

 on April 6, 2010. He previously served as Archbishop of San Antonio
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio encompasses in Texas.The archdiocese includes the city of San Antonio and the following counties: Val Verde, Edwards, Kerr, Gillespie, Kendall, Comal, Guadalupe, Gonzales, Uvalde, Kinney, Medina, Bexar, Wilson, Karnes, Frio, Atascosa, and McMullen.On...

 from 2004 to 2010, and as an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

 of the Archdiocese of Denver
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver
The Archdiocese of Denver is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Denver, Colorado and the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan and Weld in the northern part of the state. The Archdiocese's home is at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate...

 from 2001 to 2004. He is an ordained priest of Opus Dei
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...

.

Archbishop Gómez is assisted by six Auxiliary Bishops: Gabino Zavala
Gabino Zavala
Bishop Gabino Zavala currently serves as the Auxiliary Bishop of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is considered by some to be one of the most powerful and influential Latinos in the Church in the United States today. Born in Mexico, Zavala grew up in Los...

, Thomas John Curry
Thomas John Curry
Thomas John Curry is a Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was born in Drumgoon, County Cavan, Ireland.-Pastoral life:...

, Gerald Eugene Wilkerson
Gerald Eugene Wilkerson
Gerald Eugene Wilkerson , is an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Gerald Wilkerson grew up in Long Beach, California. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and was ordained a priest on January 5, 1965 by Cardinal...

, Edward W. Clark
Edward W. Clark
Edward William Clark is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Biography:...

, Oscar A. Solis
Oscar A. Solis
Bishop Oscar Azarcon Solis is an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California. Solis is the first Filipino-American to be consecrated a bishop. He was ordained a priest in 1979...

, and Alexander Salazar
Alexander Salazar
Alexander Salazar is a Costa Rican-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Biography:...

. In addition, Joseph Martin Sartoris
Joseph Martin Sartoris
Joseph M. Sartoris , is a retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Episcopacy:Joseph M. Sartoris is a native of Los Angeles, California. He studied at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California, and was ordained a priest of the Los Angeles Archdiocese on May 30,...

 is a retired auxiliary bishop still living and residing within the archdiocese. Gordon Bennett, S.J.
Gordon Bennett (bishop)
Gordon Bennett, S.J., is Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Mandeville.-Episcopacy:Gordon Bennett was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore on March 3, 1998. Bennett assumed his duties as bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica on September 24, 2004. After retiring as Bishop of Mandeville in 2008, Bishop...

, Bishop Emeritus of Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of the total population is about 72,000. It is located on an inland plateau at an...

, also resides within the archdiocese, as the Peter Faber
Peter Faber
Blessed Peter Faver was a French Jesuit theologian and a cofounder of the Society of Jesus. He was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church on September 5, 1872.-Biography:Peter Faver , grew up in far east central France...

, S.J.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

 Fellow in Pastoral Theology and Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...

 in Los Angeles.

Bishops of Monterey-Los Angeles

  1. Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
    Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
    Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, C.M. was a Roman Catholic cleric who eventually became Bishop of Los Angeles, California.- Birth and Early Career:Amat was born in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, Spain on December 31, 1810. He was ordained a priest of the religious order of the Congregation of the...

    , C.M. (1853–1878)
  2. Francisco Mora y Borrell
    Francisco Mora y Borrell
    Francisco Mora i Borrell was a Catalan American Roman Catholic priest, serving as the Bishop of Monterey-Los Angeles from 1878 to 1896.Francisco Mora was born in Gurb , Spain on November 25, 1827...

     (1878–1896)
  3. George Thomas Montgomery
    George Thomas Montgomery
    George Thomas Montgomery was the first American-born Bishop of the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles , serving in that capacity from 1896-1902....

     (1896–1902)
  4. Thomas James Conaty (1903–1915)
  5. John Joseph Cantwell
    John Joseph Cantwell
    John Joseph Cantwell was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.Archbishop Cantwell was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 18, 1899 and was initially assigned as curate of Berkeley's St. Joseph The Worker...

     (1917–1922)

Archbishops of Los Angeles

  1. John Joseph Cantwell
    John Joseph Cantwell
    John Joseph Cantwell was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.Archbishop Cantwell was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 18, 1899 and was initially assigned as curate of Berkeley's St. Joseph The Worker...

     (1936–1947)
  2. James Francis Cardinal McIntyre (1948–1970)
  3. Timothy Cardinal Manning (1970–1985)
  4. Roger Cardinal Mahony (1985–2011)
  5. José Horacio Gómez
    José Horacio Gomez
    José Horacio Gómez is a Mexican-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, currently serving as the Archbishop of Los Angeles. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Denver from 2001–2004 and as Archbishop of San Antonio from 2004–2010.Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Gómez was...

     (2011—present)

Current

  • Edward W. Clark
    Edward W. Clark
    Edward William Clark is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Biography:...

     (2001 - )
  • Thomas John Curry
    Thomas John Curry
    Thomas John Curry is a Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was born in Drumgoon, County Cavan, Ireland.-Pastoral life:...

     (1994 - )
  • Alexander Salazar
    Alexander Salazar
    Alexander Salazar is a Costa Rican-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Biography:...

     (2004- )
  • Oscar Azarcon Solis (2003 - )
  • Gerald Eugene Wilkerson
    Gerald Eugene Wilkerson
    Gerald Eugene Wilkerson , is an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Gerald Wilkerson grew up in Long Beach, California. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and was ordained a priest on January 5, 1965 by Cardinal...

     (1997 - )
  • Gabino Zavala
    Gabino Zavala
    Bishop Gabino Zavala currently serves as the Auxiliary Bishop of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is considered by some to be one of the most powerful and influential Latinos in the Church in the United States today. Born in Mexico, Zavala grew up in Los...

     (1994 - )

Former

  • Juan Alfredo Arzube (1971–1993)
  • Alden John Bell
    Alden John Bell
    Alden John Bell was a 20th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento in the state of California from 1962-1979...

     (1956–1962)
  • Stephen Blaire
    Stephen Blaire
    Stephen Edward Blaire is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fifth and current Bishop of Stockton.-Biography:...

     (1990–1999)
  • Joseph Patrick Dougherty
    Joseph Patrick Dougherty
    Joseph Patrick Dougherty was an American Roman Catholic clergyman.Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Dougherty was educated at the University of Portland in Oregon and St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1930. He served as a professor at St...

     (1969–1970)
  • Carl Anthony Fisher (1986–1993)
  • William Robert Johnson
    William Robert Johnson
    William Robert Johnson was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Orange from 1976 until his death in 1986.-Early life and education:...

     (1971–1976)
  • William Levada
    William Levada
    William Joseph Levada is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2005, he has served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, making him the highest ranking American in the Roman Curia. He was previously the Archbishop of Portland from 1986 to 1995 and...

     (1983–1986)
  • Joseph Thomas McGucken
    Joseph Thomas McGucken
    Joseph Thomas McGucken was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sacramento and Archbishop of San Francisco .-Biography:...

     (1941–1955)
  • Donald William Montrose (1983–1985)
  • Manuel Duran Moreno (1976–1982)
  • Armando Xavier Ochoa
    Armando Xavier Ochoa
    Armando Xavier Ochoa, D.D. is the fifth and current Bishop of El Paso. Ochoa is an advocate of diocesan foster care programs and responsible water use.-Early life:...

     (1986–1996)
  • Sylvester Donovan Ryan
    Sylvester Donovan Ryan
    Sylvester Donovan Ryan is a retired Roman Catholic bishop. He was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Monterey in California from his installation on March 19, 1992 to January 30, 2007...

     (1990–1992)
  • Joseph Martin Sartoris
    Joseph Martin Sartoris
    Joseph M. Sartoris , is a retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-Episcopacy:Joseph M. Sartoris is a native of Los Angeles, California. He studied at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California, and was ordained a priest of the Los Angeles Archdiocese on May 30,...

     (1994–2002)
  • Thaddeus Anthony Shubsda
    Thaddeus Anthony Shubsda
    Thaddeus Anthony "Ted" Shubsda was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Monterey in California from 1982 until his death in 1991.-Early life and education:...

     (1976–1982)
  • John J. Ward
    John J. Ward
    John James Ward was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1963 to 1996. He died of natural causes at the age of 90 on January 10, 2011...

     (1963–1996)
  • George Patrick Ziemann
    George Patrick Ziemann
    George Patrick Ziemann was the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California....

     (1986–1992)

Pastoral regions

Due to its large geographical size and Catholic population, in 1986 Archbishop Roger Mahony subdivided the archdiocese into five administrative subdivisions called pastoral regions. Each region is headed by an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

 who functions as the region's episcopal vicar. The five regions are:
  • Our Lady of the Angels
    Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
    The Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers Downtown and central Los Angeles west to Malibu, south to LAX. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Edward W. Clark...

    , covering downtown and central 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...

     west to Malibu, south to Los Angeles International Airport
    Los Angeles International Airport
    Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

    . The region has 78 parishes, 11 Catholic high schools, 5 Catholic hospitals, and 5 missions. The regional bishop is Edward William Clark.
  • San Fernando
    San Fernando Pastoral Region
    The San Fernando Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, and Antelope Valleys. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson...

    , covering the San Fernando
    San Fernando Valley
    The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...

    , Santa Clarita
    Santa Clarita Valley
    The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant...

     and Antelope
    Antelope Valley
    The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...

     Valleys. The region has 54 parishes, 12 Catholic high schools, 2 Catholic hospitals and 5 missions. The regional bishop is Gerald Eugene Wilkerson
    Gerald Eugene Wilkerson
    Gerald Eugene Wilkerson , is an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Gerald Wilkerson grew up in Long Beach, California. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and was ordained a priest on January 5, 1965 by Cardinal...

    .
  • San Gabriel
    San Gabriel Pastoral Region
    The San Gabriel Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers East Los Angeles through the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Gabino Zavala...

    , covering East Los Angeles
    East Los Angeles (region)
    East Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles that lies east of Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles River and the unincorporated areas of Lincoln Heights, west of the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and City Terrace, south of Cypress Park, and north of Vernon, California and...

     through the San Gabriel Valley
    San Gabriel Valley
    The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...

     and the Pomona Valley
    Pomona Valley
    The Pomona Valley, located between the San Gabriel Valley and Cucamonga Valley in Southern California, straddles the border between Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. Back on March 1, 1893 the California Assembly voted 54-14 for a new county to form in the region, San Antonio County,...

    . The region has 66 parishes, 13 Catholic high schools, 3 Catholic hospitals and 2 missions. The regional bishop is Gabino Zavala
    Gabino Zavala
    Bishop Gabino Zavala currently serves as the Auxiliary Bishop of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is considered by some to be one of the most powerful and influential Latinos in the Church in the United States today. Born in Mexico, Zavala grew up in Los...

    .
  • San Pedro
    San Pedro Pastoral Region
    The San Pedro Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers Long Beach and southern Los Angeles County. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Oscar A. Solis...

    , covering Long Beach
    Long Beach, California
    Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

     and southern Los Angeles County
    Los Angeles County, California
    Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

    . The region has 67 parishes, 9 Catholic high schools, 6 Catholic hospitals and 1 mission. The regional bishop is Oscar A. Solis
    Oscar A. Solis
    Bishop Oscar Azarcon Solis is an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California. Solis is the first Filipino-American to be consecrated a bishop. He was ordained a priest in 1979...

    .
  • Santa Barbara
    Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
    The Santa Barbara Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers Santa Barbara and Ventura counties in the state of California, USA. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Thomas J. Curry...

    , covering Santa Barbara
    Santa Barbara County, California
    Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...

     and Ventura
    Ventura County, California
    Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

     Counties. The region has 37 parishes, 6 Catholic high schools, 4 Catholic hospitals, and 5 missions. The regional bishop is Thomas John Curry
    Thomas John Curry
    Thomas John Curry is a Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was born in Drumgoon, County Cavan, Ireland.-Pastoral life:...

    .

Schools

There are 5 colleges and over 50 high schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Many churches have affiliated primary schools as well.

Events

The archdiocese's Office of Religious Education produces the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress
Los Angeles Religious Education Congress
The Los Angeles Religious Education Congress is a four-day event held by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The event began in 1956 as an "Institute" of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, popularly known as CCD, and in 1967, the first three-day “Congress” was held...

, the largest annual event of its kind in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, with an attendance of approximately 38,000.

Holy Days of Obligation

As directed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops'
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...

 Committee on the Liturgy and the Ecclesiastical Province of Los Angeles, the archdiocese annually observes four Holy Days of Obligation. The Roman Catholic Church currently recognizes ten holy days, established in the 1917 Code of Canon Law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...

. However, the USCCB has reduced that number to 6 for Latin Rite dioceses in the United States. As of January 1, 1993, no provinces in the United States celebrate the solemnities of Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)
Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...

, Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...

, Saint Joseph, or the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June...

. The Province of Los Angeles, which includes the L.A. Archdiocese, further modified the list and currently celebrates 4 holy days of obligation on the day prescribed by canon law. The solemnity of the Ascension is moved from Thursday of the sixth week of Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 to the seventh Sunday of Easter. The province does not celebrate the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God as a holy day. Though this move was not approved by the proper channels, namely the Episcopal Conference with approval of Rome.
  • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15
    • Exception: If August 15 falls on a Saturday or Monday, there is no obligation to attend Mass.
  • All Saints, November 1
    • Exception: If November 1 falls on a Saturday or Monday, there is no obligation to attend Mass.
  • Immaculate Conception
    Immaculate Conception
    The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...

    , December 8
    • Exception: If December 8 falls on a Sunday, the solemnity is transferred to the following Monday and there is no obligation to attend Mass.
  • Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
    Christmas
    Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

    , December 25

Sex abuse cases

The archdiocese agreed to pay out 500 million dollars to settle 45 lawsuits it still faces over two other pending cases of sexual abuse
Roman Catholic sex abuse cases
The Catholic sex abuse cases are a series of convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders. These cases began receiving public attention beginning in the mid-1980s...

. According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 a total of 22 priests were involved in the settlement with cases going as far back as the 1930s. 20 million dollars of this was paid by the insurers of the archdiocese. The main administrative office of the archdiocese is due to be sold to cover the cost of these and future law suits. The archdiocese will settle about 500 cases for about $2 million.

The 2006 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 Deliver Us From Evil
Deliver Us from Evil (2006 film)
Deliver Us from Evil is a documentary film directed by Amy J. Berg which tells the true story of Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady, who admitted to having molested and raped approximately 25 children in Northern California between the late 1970s and early 1990s...

is based on accusations that the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...

 Mahony, knew that Oliver O'Grady
Oliver O'Grady
Oliver O'Grady is an Irish former Roman Catholic priest who raped, molested and abused many children in California from 1973 onwards. He wrote a letter of confession to parents in 1976 and a copy was given to the Bishop of Stockton at that time....

, a priest who sexually abused children, including a 9-month-old baby, in a string of Central California towns for 20 years, was a sexual abuser but failed to keep him away from children. In 1984, a Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...

 police investigation into sexual abuse allegations against O'Grady was reportedly closed after diocesan officials promised to remove the priest from any contact with children. Instead, he was reassigned to a parish about 50 miles east, in San Andreas
San Andreas
San Andreas is an archaic variation of the Spanish language San Andrés . It may refer to:*San Andreas Fault, a geologic fault that runs through California, USA...

, where he continued to molest children. Not long after, Mahony was promoted to archbishop of Los Angeles, the largest Catholic diocese in the country. In Deliver Us From Evil, O'Grady says Mahony was "very supportive and very compassionate and that another situation had been smoothly handled". Mahony denies knowing that O’Grady was a child molester.

In this regard, on August 24, 2007, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Louise DeCarl Adler ruled for immediate jury trial
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...

s for 42 sex-abuse lawsuits against the Diocese of San Diego duly filed by 150 litigants, who alleged sexual crimes by priests to children. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...

 offered about $4 million to settle the claims but plaintiffs' counsels demanded 10% of a million. With over four million Catholics and several holdings, the archdiocese is the largest and wealthiest of the five United States dioceses which have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse. The Los Angeles archdiocese settled 508 cases for $2 million in July, 2007, while the Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

 diocese settled 90 claims for $.2 million in 2004.

Rita Milla, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 citizen who was sexually abused by 7 priests was paid a $500,000 settlement on December 4, 2007, from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, America's largest, in her 23-year legal fight. Milla, 46, was one of the plaintiffs in a $660-million-dollar global settlement paid by the diocese reached for past abuse victims of molestation by priests. At 16, she was first abused by Fr. Santiago at Los Angeles and the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

's failure to help here caused her loss of faith: "It felt like God hanging up the phone on me. I'll never escape the memories and I'll always be fighting the after effects of the trauma I went through, but now I can work on healing." She sued the church in 1984, and Tamayo apologized to her in 1991. Tamayo, who died in 1999, was paid to remain in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

On January 22, 2008, Tod Tamberg announced that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had sold its 12-story Archdiocesan Catholic Center on Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...

 to Jamison Properties (David Lee, President) of Los Angeles for $31 million to help pay the $660 million 2007 settlement on sex abuse by clergy. It was donated in 1995 by Thrifty PayLess
Thrifty PayLess
Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. was a pharmacy holding company that owned the Thrifty Drugs and PayLess Drug Stores chains in the western United States....

.

Province of Los Angeles

See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States

See also


External links

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