Auxiliary Bishops
Auxiliary Bishops of Los Angeles
The Archbishop is supported by five Auxiliary Bishops to assist with the pastoral and administrative needs of the five pastoral regions of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Bishop David G. O’Connell, D.D., V.G.
The Most Reverend David G. O’Connell is the Episcopal Vicar of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, one of the five Pastoral Regions in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was appointed Titular Bishop of Cell Ausaille and Auxiliary Bishop in 2015.
Bishop O’Connell received a BA in Philosophy and English Literature from the University College Dublin in 1975, a Bachelor of Divinity from Maynooth College in 1977 and a Masters of Spirituality from Mount St. Mary’s College in 1987.
Since his ordination to the priesthood, he’s served as Associate Pastor at St. Raymond in Downey, St. Maria Goretti in Long Beach, and St. Hillary in Pico Rivera, and then as Pastor of St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension Catholic Church, St. Eugene and St. Michael Parishes. Archbishop Gomez appointed him Episcopal Vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region in 2015.
Bishop Marc V. Trudeau, D.D., V.G.
Bishop Marc Vincent Trudeau was ordained to the priesthood at St. Vibiana’s Cathedral in 1991. Bishop-elect Trudeau served as parroquial vicar at St. James the Less in La Crescenta and at St. Philip the Apostle in Pasadena where he also served as administrator for a year. He was appointed pastor of St. Pius X in Santa Fe Springs in 2001 after which he moved to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to work as Cardinal Roger Mahony’s priest secretary.
In 2007, he was named Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope Benedict. Msgr. Marc was appointed pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Lomita in 2010. In 2013, he moved to St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo as Vice Rector and was named Rector in 2014.
He was named Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on April 5th, 2018 and was ordained on June 7th, 2018 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, when Archbishop Gomez appointed him as Episcopal Vicar for the San Pedro Pastoral Region.
Bishop Alejandro D. Aclan, D.D., V.G.
Born in the Philippines, Bishop Alejandro “Alex” Aclan was ordained a priest in 1993. With a fluid ability to speak English, Filipino and Spanish, Bishop Aclan spent time from the mid-1990s as an associate pastor at St. Finbar in Burbank and St. John of God in Norwalk before accepting an assignment in 2001 as the pastor at St. Madeleine in Pomona.
From 2014 through 2018, he was the Vicar for Clergy to promote the continuing formation of spiritual and physical well-being for all priests and deacons. In 2017, Bishop Aclan was formally elevated to “Prelate of Honor,” or monsignor. Archbishop Gomez appointed him as Episcopal Vicar for the San Fernando Pastoral Region on May 16, 2019 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Bishop Emeritus
The following have previously served as Bishops of Los Angeles in the past, but have reached the retirement age of 75 years.
Bishop Edward Wm. Clark, S.T.D., V.G.
Bishop Edward Wm. Clark was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Minnesota, Idaho and California (Orange County). He attended local schools in Los Angeles and graduated from St. John’s Seminary College in 1968.
Bishop Clark was ordained for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1972 and served as an associate pastor at Saint James Parish in Redondo Beach and Saint Joseph Parish in Pomona. He received a Masters Degree in Religion from Saint John’s Seminary in 1972 and a Masters Degree in Education from Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles in 1983.
Appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles in January 2001, Bishop Clark was ordained by Cardinal Roger Mahony to the Episcopacy in March 2001. Bishop Clark reached the retirement age of 75 years in 2021 and retired on March 1, 2022.
Bishop Thomas J. Curry, D.D., Ph.D., V.G.
(1994 – 2018) Bishop Thomas Curry was born in Ireland and attended All Hallows Seminary in Dublin, where he was ordained in 1967 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. During his first 27 years of ministry in the Archdiocese, he served as an Associate Pastor, then as a high school teacher, subsequently as the Archdiocese’s first Vicar for Clergy, and later as Secretariat Director for Church Ministerial Services. On February 8, 1994, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Ceanannus Mor and Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. On March 19, 1994 Cardinal Mahony ordained him Bishop and on April 3, 1994 appointed him Episcopal Vicar for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region, where he served until 2015. After serving the Archdiocese for more than 50 years, Bishop Curry reached the retirement age of 75 years in 2018 and retired on April 3, 2018.
Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson, D.D.
Bishop Gerald Eugene Wilkerson is the Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the San Fernando Pastoral Region, one of the five Pastoral Regions in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in 1998. Ordained a Priest in 1965, he has been serving the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for over fifty years. He currently serves as President for the Executive Committee for the California Catholic Conference.
Bishop Gerald Wilkerson was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended St. John’s Seminary and was ordained in 1965 by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre. He served in the archdiocese as associate pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Habra; St. Michael, Los Angeles and American Martyrs, Manhattan Beach, and for 15 years at Our Lady of Grace Church, Encino as administrator and then pastor.
Having reached the retirement age for Bishops of 75 years of age, on July 21, 2015, Pope Francis accepted the retirement of Bishop Wilkerson. Archbishop Gomez thanked Bishop Wilkerson for his service to the Archdiocese stating that he “has fulfilled his ministry with zeal and dedication, and we are very grateful for the many things he has done for the people of God in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.”
Bishop Joseph M. Sartoris, D.D.
Bishop Joseph Sartoris was ordained in 1953, he served as an associate pastor before becoming assistant principal at Bishop Conaty High School. He was in Catholic education for several years, and then served in further parishes as associate pastor. He became the Administrator Pro Tempore at Dolores Mission and the Administrator at Nativity Parish in Los Angeles before assuming his first pastorate at St. Madeleine Parish in Pomona.
In 1978 he was named pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Lomita where he served until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop in early 1994. His 16 years in Lomita were extraordinary ones as he helped develop a variety of pastoral ministries, lay involvement, and a keen sense of the Second Vatican Council. Ordained Auxiliary Bishop on the Feast of St. Joseph in 1994, he became the Regional Bishop for the San Pedro Pastoral Region, where he has served for over eight years with zeal, dedication, and a great love for all the peoples of the Region.
On July 1, 2002, Bishop Sartoris reached the retirement age of 75 years. On December 31, 2002, Pope John Paul II accepted the retirement of Bishop Sartoris.