Oscar A. Solis

Oscar Azarcón Solís (born October 13, 1953) is a Philippine-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and current Bishop of Salt Lake City. Following a 20-month sede vacante, Solís was appointed by Pope Francis on January 10, 2017, and installed on March 7, 2017, after Solís's predecessor, John C. Wester, was appointed as Archbishop of Santa Fe. He was formerly an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Solís is the first Filipino-American to be consecrated a bishop.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Oscar Azarcón Solís
Bishop of Salt Lake City
Bishop Solis in 2011
ArchdioceseSan Francisco
DioceseSalt Lake City
AppointedJanuary 10, 2017
InstalledMarch 7, 2017
PredecessorJohn Charles Wester
Orders
OrdinationApril 28, 1979
ConsecrationFebruary 10, 2004
by Roger Mahony, Sam Jacobs, and Charles Michael Jarrell
Personal details
Born (1953-10-13) October 13, 1953
San Jose, Nueva Ecija Philippines
Previous postAuxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
MottoFIAT VOLUNTAS TUA
Coat of arms
Styles of
Oscar Azarcon Solis
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

He speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Tagalog.

Biography

The son of Antonia Azarcón and Anselmo dela Fuente Solís, Oscar Solís was born in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, on October 13, 1953. He has three sisters and a brother Ronald Solis who is a priest in Hong Kong. He attended grade school at San Jose West Central School in San Jose, Nueva Ecija and high school at Maria Assumpta Minor Seminary in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. He prepared for the priesthood studying philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in Tagaytay City and theology at the Pontifical Royal Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.[1][2] He also pursued studies in Oriental Religions and Cultures.[3]

Solis was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Cabanatuan on 28 April 1979 in San Jose.[4] Between 1979 and 1984 he held a variety of diocesan posts, including rector of the minor seminary, secretary of the priests senate, school chaplain, and director of vocations. He emigrated to the United States in 1984 and served for four years as parish vicar at the Church of Saint Rocco in Union City, New Jersey, in the Diocese of Newark.[2]

He relocated to Louisiana and was incardinated in the Houma-Thibodaux on 17 June 1992. He held several posts in parishes in that diocese between 1988 and 2003, including rector of St. Joseph Co-Cathedral.[2][4]

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

On 11 December 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed him titular bishop of Urci and Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles.[4] He was consecrated bishop by Cardinal Roger Mahony at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels on February 10, 2004.[5] He said at the time that he was familiar with Spanish but he was out of practice with speaking it.[4] In Los Angeles he headed of a council focusing on minority issues as episcopal vicar for ethnic ministry from 2004 to 2009.[2][3] He chaired and was later a member of the diocese' Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs.[2] He was an organizer of the first National Assembly of Filipino Priests in the U.S. in November 2011.[3] He has held several positions with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.[3]

Bishop of Salt Lake City

Pope Francis named Solis Bishop of Salt Lake City on January 10, 2017, when the position had been vacant for 20 months. He was installed as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City on March 7, 2017.[6]

See also

References
  1. Nepales, Reuben V. (February 11, 2004). "Novo Ecijano First Filipino Bishop in US". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  2. "Rinunce e nomine, 10.01.2017" (in Italian). Holy See. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  3. Arnaquez-Delacruz, Prosy (August 3, 2011). "Most Rev. Bishop Oscar Solis: The Blessed Life of LA's first Filipino Bishop". Asian Journal. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  4. "First Filipino-American bishop installed in L.A." San Diego Union Tribune. December 12, 2003. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  5. Sciaudone, Christiana (February 11, 2004). "Filipino American Bishop Is the First". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  6. Cortez, Marjorie (January 10, 2017). "Filipino-born Oscar Azarcon Solis named 10th bishop of Salt Lake Diocese". Deseret News. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

Episcopal succession
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
John Charles Wester		 Bishop of Salt Lake City
2017–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
–		 Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
2004–2017		 Succeeded by
–
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