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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Bishop Flores goes back to Texas to head Brownsville Diocese


Bishop Daniel Flores in 2008 as he celebrated Mass for the
Helpers of God's Precious Infants in September 2008. 


This post was actually written yesterday, but internet access was lost when cable was blown out by a nasty winter windstorm.  So, here it is a day late for those who have not yet heard....

Bishop Daniel Flores, only with us here in Detroit for three years as an auxiliary bishop, has been named the next bishop of Brownsville, Texas by Pope Benedict XVI.  He succeeds Bishop Raymundo Peña who turned 75 in February.    He offered some words to the people in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Bishop Flores was introduced today in Brownsville (click here for audio).  His installation is set for February 2, 2010 -  Candlemas


Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Daniel E. Flores, 48, has been named the next bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, by Pope Benedict XVI. The Diocese of Brownsville is in the southern part of the state, along the Rio Grande, and has a Catholic population of 800,000 and a total population of 940,000. Bishop Flores will be installed on Feb. 2. He will succeed Bishop Raymundo Peña, who in February of this year reached the age of 75, the age at which bishops are mandated to submit their resignations to the Holy See.

Bishop Flores has served as a regional bishop in Detroit since November 29, 2006. He has overseen seven of the eighteen vicariates in the Detroit archdiocese, has advised the archdiocese on immigration issues, and has helped to established the Office for Hispanic Affairs. Prior to coming to Detroit, he had served in a number of capacities in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, including rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral, Chancellor, Diocesan Master of Ceremonies, Secretary to the Bishop, Rector of the Saint John Vianney House of Studies, and Episcopal Vicar for Vocations.

In an open letter, Bishop Flores expressed gratitude for the "…countless blessings (that) came to me through the love and friendship offered to me by so many" in the Detroit archdiocese.
Please pray for Bishop Flores in his new assignment. 

With regards to Detroit, Rocco Palmo over at Whispers writes:

"...today's move likewise leaves the 1.5 million-member Detroit church with just one active auxiliary bishop... but probably not for long -- native son Archbishop Allen Vigneron recently announced plans to regionalize the archdiocese into four segments, placing each (at least, optimally) under an assistant high-hat still to be named...."
Stay tuned for this news.  The archdiocese has lost several auxiliary bishops through retirement and moves.  Bishop Quinn was the last to be moved (Winona, MN) just over a year ago, leaving Bishop Francis Reiss as the only active auxiliary.  Will the next assistant be from within the archdiocese, or another transplant?  Bishop John Nienstedt (St. Paul/Minneapolis) and Bishop Leonard Blair (Toledo) are among others hailing from Detroit.

Further reading:




The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!