AMENDED RELEASE: Pope Francis Appoints Most Rev. Alberto Rojas as Coadjutor Bishop of San Bernardino

The following press release has been amended to include biographical information for Bishop Rojas that the Holy See provided upon the announcement.

WASHINGTON— Pope Francis has appointed the Most Reverend Alberto Rojas as Coadjutor Bishop of San Bernardino. Bishop Rojas was up until now Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago. The appointment was publicized today in Washington, D.C. by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Rojas was born on January 5, 1965 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He carried out his ecclesiastical studies at the Santa Maria de Guadalupe Seminary in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 24, 1997.

Assignments after ordination include: associate pastor of the Saint George the Great Church, Chicago (1997-1999) and Saint Ita Church, Chicago (1999-2002); a faculty member at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein (2002-2010), and pastor of Good Shepherd Church, Chicago (2010-2011). On June 13, 2011 he was appointed as Titular Bishop of Marazane and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago.

Bishop Rojas has also served as Episcopal Vicar for the Vicariate I and Regional Liaison for the V Encuentro. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he currently serves as a member of the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs and has also served as a member to the Subcommittee for Catholic Home Missions (2012-2016).

The Diocese of San Bernardino is in the state of California and has a total population of 4,527,837, of which 1,718,397 are Catholic.
 
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Keywords: Bishops appointment, Pope Francis, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Diocese of San Bernardino, Bishop Alberto Rojas, Archdiocese of Chicago.

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Media Contacts:
Chieko Noguchi or Miguel Guilarte
202-541-3200