This week, the Vatican announced the appointment of a new California bishop and the assignment of a new shepherd for the Diocese of Fresno.
Pope Francis has appointed the Reverend Monsignor Alejandro D. Aclan as Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. The 68-year-old priest has served in the Diocese for 25 years, most recently as the LA Archdiocese’s vicar for clergy.
The Pope also announced the appointment of the Most Reverend Joseph V. Brennan as new Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno. The 64-year-old Brennan will succeed retiring Bishop Armando X. Ochoa, a former Los Angeles auxiliary bishop who has shepherded the Fresno Diocese since 2012.
Brennan is the current Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles and has served as episcopal vicar for the San Fernando Pastoral Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for the last three years.
Aclan’s nomination makes him the second Filipino-American priest to be named bishop in the U.S. The first was Bishop Oscar Solis, who served as an auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles from 2004 until 2017, before Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Salt Lake City. The Los Angeles area is home to the largest Filipino immigrant community in the United States.
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez called Aclan a “proud son of our vibrant Filipino community” in a March 5 statement.
“Bishop-elect Aclan is a man of prayer and he has a true heart for Jesus — and a deep concern for the people he is called to serve. And I know he will be a voice for Filipino Catholics, who are a beautiful sign of growth and renewal in our Church here in Los Angeles and throughout the country,” said Archbishop Gomez.
Brennan is a native Californian who was born in Van Nuys. The ninth of ten children, Brennan has a twin brother who currently resides in the Fresno Diocese.
“Over the years, I have come to know Bishop Brennan as a man of great faith, extraordinary talent, and love of his call to serve God’s people with the heart of Christ,” said Bishop Ochoa in a released statement.
“After seven wonderful years as Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno, I know that the clergy, religious men and women, and all God’s people will welcome Bishop Brennan with open arms and open hearts,” Ochoa said.