DETROIT, Michigan, APRIL 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named Father Jose Arturo Cepeda of the clergy of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan.
The bishop-designate was born in 1969 in San Luis de Potosi, Mexico, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1996 for the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Upon his ordination, he will become the youngest bishop in the United States.
Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit called the bishop-designate a «true son of Our Lady of Guadalupe.»
In a statement posted on the archdiocesan Web site, he noted that «Bishop Cepeda comes to us with an apostolic mission to use all of his many gifts and talents for the service of the whole People of God in Southeast Michigan — with particular attention to that portion of our family which is Hispanic.»
«I know [Our Lady of Guadalupe] will help him to share his gifts with us, so that all of us — from so many diverse cultures — will share our gifts of grace with one another,» the archbishop added.
Cepeda came to the United States with his family at the age of 19, while already pursuing a life in the priesthood.
After ordination, he was associate pastor of San Antonio’s San Fernando Cathedral for four years, then attended St. Thomas Aquinas «Angelicum» Pontifical University in Rome, where he earned a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology.
He was made rector of Assumption Seminary in 2010.
«I am excited about coming to Detroit,» said Bishop-designate Cepeda. «God is the One who does all the work and gives us all the grace we need. All we need to do is say ‘yes,’ just like Mary. That’s my attitude. I will learn much from the Church of Detroit.»
