Pope Francis has named Bishop Alberto Rojas as Coadjutor Bishop of San Bernardino.
Bishop Rojas, 54, will work alongside Bishop Gerald Barnes until his retirement on his 75th birthday, as required by Church law. Bishop Barnes has overseen the diocese for 24 years.
Bishop Rojas, who was born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico, has served as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago since 2011.
The Diocese of San Bernardino is the nation’s fifth-largest diocese and second-largest in California. It is home to over 1.7 million Catholics.
Bishop Rojas has fulfilled a number of key assignments on national committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Hispanic Affairs, Liturgy, Catholic Home Missions and, most recently, as lead bishop for Region VII of the V Encuentro, a reflection and dialogue of the U.S. church on the growing prominence of Hispanics in the church.
The announcement came on Dec. 2 from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. You can watch a video of the welcoming press conference at the Diocese of San Bernardino’s YouTube page.