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Oscar Cantú

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Oscar Cantú
Bishop of San José in California
DioceseSan Jose
AppointedJuly 11, 2018
InstalledSeptember 28, 2018
PredecessorPatrick Joseph McGrath
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationMay 21, 1994
by Joseph Fiorenza
ConsecrationJune 2, 2008
by José Horacio Gómez, Joseph Fiorenza, and Joe S. Vásquez
Personal details
Born (1966-12-05) December 5, 1966 (age 57)
Houston, Texas
MottoZelus Domus Tuae Comedit Me (Zeal for the house of the Lord consumes me)
Styles of
Oscar Cantú
Reference styleHis Excellency
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Oscar Cantú (born December 5, 1966) is a Mexican-American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of San Jose since 2018.

Cantú served as Bishop of Las Cruces from 2013 to 2018, and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio from 2008 to 2013. When Cantú became a bishop in 2008, he was the youngest in the United States.

Biography

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Early years

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Oscar Cantú was born on December 5, 1966, in Houston, Texas, the son of Ramiro and Maria de Jesus Cantú. He is the fifth of eight children. Oscar Cantú attended Holy Name Catholic School and St. Thomas High School in Houston. He then traveled to Dallas, Texas, to attend the University of Dallas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree there.[1]

Having decided to become a priest, Cantú entered the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where he received his Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies degrees. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, and French.[2]

Priesthood

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Cantú was ordained a priest at Saint Francis de Sales Church in Houston by Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on May 21, 1994.[3] The archdiocese assigned Cantú as parochial vicar at St. Christopher Parish in Houston. He taught at the University of St. Thomas and at St. Mary's Seminary, and served as pastor of Holy Name Parish.[1]

In 1998, Cantú traveled to Rome to attend the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was awarded a Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a Doctor of Dogmatic Theology degree there in 2002.[1]

Cantú conducted youth retreats in the Christian Family Movement in the archdiocese, and worked with the Engaged Encounter ministry. He was also involved in The Metropolitan Organization (TMO), which addresses fair housing, immigration, and education.[1]

Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio

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Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cantú titular bishop of Dardanus and auxiliary bishop of San Antonio in 2008.[3] He was consecrated a bishop on June 2, 2008, by Archbishop José Gómez, with Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza and Bishop Joe S. Vásquez serving as co-consecrators.[4]

At the time of his consecration, Cantú was the youngest bishop in the United States.[5] He chose as his episcopal motto Zelus domus tuae comedit me (Zeal for the Lord's house consumes me).[6]

Bishop of Las Cruces

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Coat of arms as bishop of Las Cruces

On January 10, 2013, Benedict XVI named Cantú as the second bishop of Las Cruces. He was installed on February 28, 2013.[5][3] At the time, he was the youngest bishop to head an American diocese.[7]

Cantú visited Japan in 2015 for the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II.[8] [9] He served as a representative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at the state visit of Pope Francis to Mexico in February 2016.[2]

Bishop of San Jose

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Pope Francis appointed Cantú as coadjutor bishop of San Jose on July 11, 2018, to assist Bishop Patrick J. McGrath.[10] He was installed on September 28, 2018.[1] On May 1, 2019, after McGrath's retirement, Cantú automatically succeeded him as bishop of San Jose.[3]

Cantú chaired the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace from 2015 to 2017. In that role, he visited churches in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. These included churches in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo that were under great duress. He twice visited Iraq and Cuba. Cantú visited churches in Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, and the West Bank, advocating the Catholic Church position on a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. He spoke at the United Nations against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. He called for religious liberty in the Middle East, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India.[9]

In November 2020, the Congregation for Bishops at the Vatican initiated an investigation into Cantu's handling of allegations of clerical sexual abuse and misconduct when he was bishop of Las Cruces. The Congregation is carrying out its investigation under the provisions of Vos estis lux mundi, the 2019 papal bull that holds bishops accountable for their handling of sexual abuse cases.[11] As of April 2024, the investigation is ongoing.[citation needed]

Viewpoints

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Diversity in the Catholic Church

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In a 2022 interview with Catholic California Daily, Cantú questioned why there were so few American bishops of Hispanic ancestry. He said:

“I think we have a distinct opportunity to be bridges from the historical institutional church in the United States to a growing population whose voice has not always been asked for, whose experiences and opinions have not always been sought.” [12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Pope Francis Names Bishop Oscar Cantú as Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose". US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  2. ^ a b Brockhaus, Hannah (July 11, 2018). "New Mexico bishop made coadjutor of San Jose". Crux. Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Bishop Oscar Cantú [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  4. ^ "Bishop Oscar Cantú receives prayerful welcome to San Antonio at vespers, ordination". Catholic News Agency. June 5, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Vatican appoints Oscar Cantú as bishop in San Jose". Las Cruces Sun News. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "Coat of Arms of new Las Cruces bishop and its meaning". KVIA. February 28, 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Levy, Abe (January 10, 2013). "S.A. archdiocese's No. 2 man will take over No. 1 job in Las Cruces". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Jeffrey, Paul (10 August 2015). "U.S. bishop says personal stories in Nagasaki, Hiroshima changed him". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Bishops - Diocese of San Jose". Diocese of San Jose. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "United States: Pope Francis Names Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose". Zenit. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Catholic News Agency. California Bishop Cantu under Vatican 'Vos estis' investigation. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/46614/california-bishop-cantu-under-vatican-vos-estis-investigation
  12. ^ Holman, Jim (2022-12-23). "Bishop Cantu: why not more U.S.-born Hispanic bishops". California Catholic Daily. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
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Episcopal succession

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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of San Jose
2019-Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
-
 Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose
2018-2019 		Succeeded by
-
Preceded by Bishop of Las Cruces
2013-2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio
2008-2013 		Succeeded by
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