Philippine-born prelate
Oscar Solís
Auxiliary Bishop Solis in 2011
Diocese
Salt Lake City Appointed January 10, 2017 Installed March 7, 2017 Predecessor
John Charles Wester Ordination April 28, 1979 by Vicente Posada Reyes Consecration February 10, 2004 by
Roger Mahony ,
Sam Jacobs , and
Charles Michael Jarrell Born Oscar Azarcón Solís
(1953-10-13 ) October 13, 1953 (age 70) Previous post(s) Motto Fiat voluntas tua (Thy will be done)
Oscar Azarcón Solís (born October 13, 1953) is a Philippine-born prelate of the
Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the
Diocese of Salt Lake City in Utah since 2017. Solís was an
auxiliary bishop for the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California from 2003 to 2017.
Solís is the first
Filipino-American to be consecrated a bishop and the first Asian American to lead a diocese.
[1] He speaks fluent
English ,
Spanish , and
Tagalog .
Biography
Early years
The son of Antonia Azarcón and Anselmo dela Fuente Solís, Oscar Solís was born in
San Jose City, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines on October 13, 1953. He has three sisters and a brother, Ronald Solis, who is a
Opus Dei priest in Hong Kong. Oscar Solis attended grade school at San Jose West Central School in San Jose and high school at Maria Assumpta Minor Seminary in
Cabanatuan ,
Nueva Ecija .
[2]
[3]
After deciding to enter the priesthood, Solis studied philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in
Quezon City and theology at the
Pontifical Royal Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
[2]
[3] He also pursued studies in Asian religions and cultures.
[4]
Priesthood
Solis was ordained a priest of the
Diocese of Cabanatuan in the Philippines by Bishop Vicente Posada Reyes on April 28, 1979, at the
San Jose Cathedral in San Jose.
[5]
[6] Between 1979 and 1984, he served in his diocese as rector of the
minor seminary , secretary of the priests senate, school chaplain, and director of vocations.
[5] Solis immigrated to the United States in 1984 and served for four years as parish vicar at Saint Rocco Parish in
Union City, New Jersey , in the
Diocese of Newark .
[3]
[7]
[8]
Solis relocated to Louisiana in 1988 to serve as associate pastor at
St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux. He was
incardinated in, or transferred to, the
Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on June 17, 1992. That same year, the diocese assigned Solis as pastor of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in
Golden Meadow, Louisiana . After six years at Our Lady, Solis was appointed as pastor at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral and St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Thibodaux.
[3]
[5]
[7]
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
On December 11, 2003,
Pope John Paul II appointed Solis as titular bishop of
Urci and as an
auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles.
[5] He was consecrated bishop by Cardinal
Roger Mahony at the
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on February 10, 2004, with Bishops
Sam Jacobs , and
Charles Jarrell serving as co-consecrators.
[9] Solis said at the time that he was familiar with Spanish, but he was out of practice speaking it.
[5]
In Los Angeles, Solis served as
episcopal vicar for ethnic ministry from 2004 to 2009.
[3]
[4] He chaired and was later a member of the diocese Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs.
[3] He was an organizer of the first National Assembly of Filipino Priests in the United States in November 2011.
[4] He has held several positions with the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops .
[4]
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 on March 7, 2017.
[10]
Solis has spoken on
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the dominant faith in the diocese's territory, saying,
"We value our long-standing relationship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our communities share a call to social justice and love for the poor. The task before us is one of building and strengthening our inclusive communities of faith. I look forward to continuing a culture of dialogue and encounter that leads us together to God.”
Latter-day Saint Apostles
M. Russell Ballard and
D. Todd Christofferson spoke about Solis when he was installed as the bishop of Salt Lake City. Ballard said, “We look forward to partnering with Bishop Solis as we stand together and give witness to Jesus Christ as His disciples.” Christofferson added, “We celebrate the installation of Bishop Solis as the leader of the Diocese of Salt Lake City and the newest member of our faith community in Utah."
[11]
In 2018, Solis released the pastoral plan for the diocese. It focused on developing a comprehensive vision for strengthening faith formation, promoting vocations to the priesthood and a universal call for holiness to the
laity , seeking new ways to support the diocese financially and support the needy, increasing the reverence and devotion of the
Eucharist , and upholding the dignity of all in society. Implementation of the plan began in 2018 and was to end in 2023.
[12]
See also
References
^ Robert E. Carbonneau (2021). "Asian-American Catholics". In McGuinness, Margaret M.; Rzeznik, Thomas F. (eds.).
The Cambridge Companion to American Catholicism . Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 320.
ISBN
978-1-108-47265-4 . Retrieved April 14, 2022 .
^
a
b Nepales, Reuben V. (February 11, 2004).
"Novo Ecijano First Filipino Bishop in US" . Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved January 10, 2017 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Rinunce e nomine, 10.01.2017" (in Italian). Holy See. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2016 .
^
a
b
c
d 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 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
"First Filipino-American bishop installed in L.A." San Diego Union Tribune . December 12, 2003. Retrieved January 10, 2017 .
^
"Bishop Oscar Azarcon Solis [Catholic-Hierarchy]" . www.catholic-hierarchy.org . Retrieved 2024-02-12 .
^
a
b
"Pope Names Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Solis as Bishop of Salt Lake City" . US Conference of Catholic Bishops . Retrieved 2024-02-12 .
^
"Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, D.D." Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City . Retrieved 2024-02-12 .
^ Sciaudone, Christiana (February 11, 2004).
"Filipino American Bishop Is the First" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 11, 2017 .
^ Cortez, Marjorie (January 10, 2017).
"Filipino-born Oscar Azarcon Solis named 10th bishop of Salt Lake Diocese" . Deseret News . Retrieved January 10, 2017 .
^
"LDS Apostles Welcome Utah's New Catholic Bishop: "We Stand Together and Give Witness to Jesus Christ" " . LDS Living . 8 March 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2022 .
^ Solis, Oscar.
"Charting Our Mission: Pastoral Plan" (PDF) . Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City . Retrieved 10 October 2022 .
External links
Episcopal succession
Bishops Churches Education
Elementary and middle schools
Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, Sandy
J.E Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School, Salt Lake City
Kearns-Saint Ann Catholic School, South Salt Lake
Madeleine Choir Catholic School, Salt Lake City
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Salt Lake City
Saint Andrew Catholic School, Riverton
Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School, Kearns
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Elementary School, Draper
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Middle School, Draper
Saint Joseph Catholic Elementary School, Ogden
Saint Marguerite Catholic School, Tooele
Saint Olaf Catholic School, Bountiful
Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School, Salt Lake City
High schools
Juan Diego Catholic High School, Draper
Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City
St. Joseph Catholic High School, Ogden
Priests Miscellany
Bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Bishop of Two Californias Bishop of Monterey Bishops of Monterey–Los Angeles Bishop of Los Angeles–San Diego Archbishops of Los Angeles Auxiliary bishops, current Auxiliary bishops, former Priests who became bishops
Churches in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Archdiocese Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
Deanery 13 (Westside)
Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Pacific Palisades
St. Monica Catholic Church, Santa Monica
St. Augustine Catholic Church, Culver City
St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Brentwood
St. Timothy Catholic Church, Los Angeles
Church of the Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills
St. Ambrose Church, West Hollywood
Saint Victor Catholic Church, West Hollywood
Deanery 14 (Central LA/Hollywood)
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Hollywood
Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles
Christ the King Catholic Church, Los Angeles
St. Basil Catholic Church, Wilshire
St. Brendan Catholic Church, Los Angeles
Deanery 15 (Downtown/South)
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles
Precious Blood Catholic Church
St. Cecilia Catholic Church
St. Patrick Catholic Church
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
St. Vincent de Paul Church
Deanery 16 (South LA/Inglewood)
St. John Chrysostom Church, Inglewood
St. Odilia Church, Los Angeles
Ascension Catholic Church, Los Angeles
Spanish mission
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (Note: This is not a Spanish mission, but rather, a parish church.)
San Fernando Pastoral Region
Deanery 5 (West San Fernando Valley)
Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Sherman Oaks
Our Lady of Grace, Encino
Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Northridge
Our Lady of the Valley, Canoga Park
St. Bernardine of Siena Church, Woodland Hills
St. Bridget of Sweden Catholic Church, Van Nuys
St. Catherine of Siena Church, Reseda
St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church and School, Encino
St. Euphrasia, Granada Hills
St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church, Sherman Oaks
St. John Eudes Church, Chatsworth
St. John the Baptist de la Salle Church, Granada Hills
St. Joseph the Worker Church, Winnetka
St. Mel, Woodland Hills
Deanery 6 (Crescenta Valley, Glendale and Eagle Rock)
Holy Family Catholic Church, Glendale
Incarnation Catholic Church and School, Glendale
Deanery 7 (Central San Fernando Valley and Burbank)
Guardian Angel Church, Pacoima
Jesus Sacred Heart Syriac Catholic Church, North Hollywood
Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, Pacoima
Mission San Fernando Rey de España, Mission Hills
Our Lady of Peace Church, North Hills
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Sun Valley
St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Church, San Fernando
St. Anne Melkite Catholic Cathedral, North Hollywood
St. Charles Borromeo Church, North Hollywood
St. Didacus Catholic Church, Sylmar
St. Elizabeth Church and School, Van Nuys
St. Ferdinand Catholic Church, San Fernando
St. Finbar Catholic Church and School, Burbank
St. Francis Xavier Church, Burbank
St. Genevieve Catholic Church, Panorama City
St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church, North Hollywood
St. Patrick Catholic Church, North Hollywood
St Paul Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church, North Hollywood
St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, Burbank
Santa Rosa Catholic Church, San Fernando
Deanery 8 (Santa Clarita Valley and Lancaster/Palmdale)
Blessed Junipero Serra Catholic Church, Lancaster
San Gabriel Pastoral Region
Deanery 9 (East LA, Boyle Heights, City Terrace)
All Saints Catholic Church, Los Angeles
Assumption Catholic Church, Los Angeles
Deanery 10 (Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Montebello, Alhambra)
All Souls Catholic Church, Alhambra
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Pasadena
St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Pasadena
Mission San Gabriel Parish, San Gabriel
Deanery 11 (Arcadia, Covina, Glendora, Monrovia, La Puente)
Annunciation Catholic Church, Arcadia
Deanery 12 (San Dimas, Claremont, Pomona, Diamond Bar, La Puente, Valinda, Walnut)
San Pedro Pastoral Region
Deanery 17 (Downey, Compton, Huntington Park, Lynwood)
Deanery 18 (Whittier, La Mirada, Pico Rivera, Norwalk)
Beatitudes of Our Lord Catholic Church, La Mirada
Holy Family Catholic Church, Artesia
Deanery 19 (South Bay and San Pedro)
American Martyrs Catholic Church, Manhattan Beach
SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Wilmington
Deanery 20 (Long Beach)
Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
Deanery 1 (Lompoc, Solvang, Santa Maria)
La Purisima Mission, Lompoc
Mission Santa Inés, Solvang
Deanery 2 (Santa Barbara)
Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Barbara
Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Santa Barbara
Deanery 3 (Oxnard, Ventura, Ojai, Fillmore, Santa Paula)
Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura
Deanery 4 (Simi Valley, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo)
Blessed Junipero Serra Catholic Church, Camarillo
Education in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Archdiocese Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
Universities and colleges
Loyola Marymount University
Mount St. Mary's University
High schools
Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto HS, Harvard Heights
Cathedral HS (Boys)
Immaculate Heart HS, Los Feliz (Girls)
Loyola HS, Harvard Heights (Boys)
Marymount HS, Bel Air (Girls)
Notre Dame Acad. (Girls)
St. Bernard HS, Playa del Rey
St. Mary's Acad., Inglewood (Girls)
St. Monica Catholic HS, Santa Monica
Verbum Dei HS, Watts (Boys)
High schools, closed
Daniel MS, Los Angeles
San Fernando Pastoral Region
High schools
Bishop Alemany HS, Mission Hills
Chaminade HS, West Hills
Crespi Carmelite HS, Encino
Flintridge Sacred Heart Acad., La Cañada Flintridge
Louisville HS, Woodland Hills
Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks
Paraclete HS, Lancaster
Providence HS, Burbank
St. Francis HS, La Cañada Flintridge
St. Genevieve HS, Panorama City
High schools, closed
Bellarmine-Jefferson HS, Burbank
Holy Family HS, Glendale
San Gabriel Pastoral Region
High schools
Ramona Convent Sec., Alhambra
St. Lucy's Priory HS, Glendora
Bishop Amat Memorial HS, La Puente
Damien HS, La Verne
Salesian HS, Los Angeles
Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary HS, Montebello
La Salle College Prep., Pasadena
Mayfield Senior, Pasadena
St. Monica Acad., Montrose
Pomona Catholic HS, Pomona
San Gabriel Mission HS, San Gabriel
Alverno Heights Acad., Sierra Madre (formerly Alverno HS)
San Pedro Pastoral Region
High schools
St. John Bosco HS, Bellflower
St. Pius X-St. Matthias Acad., Downey
Junipero Serra HS, Gardena
St. Joseph High School, Lakewood
St. Anthony HS, Long Beach
Don Bosco HS, Rosemead
Mary Star of the Sea HS, San Pedro
St. Paul HS, Santa Fe Springs
Bishop Montgomery HS, Torrance
Universities and colleges, closed
Marymount College, Palos Verdes
High schools, closed
Queen of Angels Acad., Compton
Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region
San Fernando Pastoral Region
San Gabriel Pastoral Region
San Pedro Pastoral Region
Santa Barbara Pastoral Region