Dec. 28, 2020
Statement on the Succession of Coadjutor Bishop Alberto Rojas and the Retirement of Bishop Gerald Barnes in the Diocese of San Bernardino
Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles
December 28, 2020
Merry Christmas, my brothers and sisters!
On behalf of the whole family of God here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, I am praying with our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of San Bernardino today.
We share their joy at the succession of Coadjutor Bishop Alberto Rojas to Ordinary Bishop and we join them in expressing gratitude for the service of retiring Bishop Gerald Barnes during these past 25 years.
I want to personally thank Bishop Barnes for his ministry and I wish him many happy years of prayer and service as he continues his priestly ministry in his retirement. As he begins his new ministry, I entrust Bishop Rojas to the tender heart of Our Lady Guadalupe. May she watch over him and help him in his mission to share the love of God and his mercy.
In this beautiful season of Christmas, when our God comes to be with us, I pray that the birth of our Savior will bring the grace of a new beginning to the family of God in San Bernardino, and to each and every one of us.