Pastor with law degree is new O.C. auxiliary bishop
Cirilo Flores is bilingual priest with Stanford law degree.
By EUGENE W. FIELDS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Vị Tân Giám Mục nói được tiếng Anh và tiếng Tây Ban Nha. Ngài vốn là một vị luật sự hành nghề được 10 năm trước khi vào chủng viện. Ngài chỉ mới 60 tuổi, đã từng phục vụ tại nhiều giáo xứ, trong đó có giao xứ Santa Barbara, thuộc thành phố Santa Ana, California.

ORANGE - A priest with a Stanford law degree was announced today as the newest auxiliary bishop to the Most Rev. Tod D. Brown, in the administration of the Diocese of Orange.

The Rev. Cirilo Flores, pastor of St. Norbert Parish in Orange, was announced as the replacement for Bishop Jaime Soto, who in 2007 was appointed coadjutor bishop of Sacramento. Bishop Dominic Luong, born in Vietnam, serves as the other auxiliary bishop under Brown, the bishop of Orange.

"I never thought the call would come," said Flores, 60. "I never thought I would be bishop."

The principal focus of an auxiliary bishop is to assist Brown, who said Flores will help with confirmations and make visits to parishes throughout the county among other duties.

Like Soto, Flores is a Spanish-speaker, but Flores said he hoped to focus on cultural diversity throughout the diocese.

"Bishop Tod and Bishop Dominic and I have not sat down to discuss the division of tasks or areas of responsibility," Flores said.

After Soto transferred to Sacramento, Flores said parishioners told him they hoped he would succeed Soto.

At the same time, Brown had submitted Flores' name, along with two others, to fill the empty position. After the nominees were vetted locally, the list was sent to the Vatican Embassy in Washington, D.C. and then on to Rome to the Congregation of Bishops, which recommended a candidate to the pope.

"The holy father, ordinarily not knowing all the circumstances, would rely on the congregation to make a good recommendation," Brown said. "He would most always accept the nomination."

Flores graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1970 and from Stanford Law School in 1976. He practiced law for 10 years before entering St. John's Seminary in Camarillo in 1986.

Flores was ordained in 1991 and served at St. Barbara Parish in Santa Ana; St. Joachim Parish in Costa Mesa; Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in La Habra; St. Anne Parish in Santa Ana; and then as pastor at St. Norbert's.

Brown said the trio of bishops will work together to serve the 1.2 million Catholics in Orange County.

"I think that our Catholic church in Orange really reflects a great diversity, ethnically and racially, and now the bishops of the diocese reflect that," Brown said. "However, no one of us is here to just serve one group. We do that together, and I think we'll do it together well."

Flores will be formally ordained at a ceremony on March 19 at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove. He said he will remain at St. Norbert's until a replacement is appointed but will start some of his duties for the diocese this week.

"There's a lot of work that only bishops can do. So I'm very happy that we have a second one," Brown said. "We needed a second one. …

"He'll be kept quite busy," Brown said. "He'll help Bishop Dominic and I with our loads."