New Bishop ordained to oversee Santa Barbara & Ventura region
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Catholics in the Santa Barbara and Ventura region have a new bishop.
José H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, ordained Slawomir Szkredka as bishop last week at Our Lady of Angeles Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles after Pope Francis appointed him an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles back in July.
In addition to Bishop Szkredka, Pope Francis also appointed Bishop Albert Bahhuth, Bishop Matthew Elshoff, and Bishop Brian Nunes to be auxilary bishops to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In August, Archbishop Gomez announced which pastoral regions each bishop would oversee.
"I am very grateful to Archbishop Gomez for assigning me to this region because for the past eight years I have worked in Camarillo," said Bishop Szkredka.
Szkredka was a professor of biblical studies and coordinator of human formation at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo.
At 49-years-old Bishop Szkredka is the youngest of the four newly ordained bishops. The Bishop says he is open to learning and will use Pope Francis as his inspiration.
"You look at Pope Francis and you realize that youthfulness is not just a matter of age, it's about one's openness to the Holy Spirit," said the bishop. "So I look at Pope Francis and see how youthful he is, how energetic, courageous, inspirational."
Bishop Szkredka begins his assignment to the region after a former priest who served in Oxnard was charged with child pornography. The bishop plans on working with local parishes to implement and expand programs and to train teachers, volunteers, and ministers in sexual abuse prevention and protection.
"Our ministries, schools, parishes are working together to support those who have been harmed."
Bishop Szkredka now lives in Santa Barbara and plans to visit all the parishes and Catholic schools in the region. The bishops says he is looking forward to his first Old Spanish Days celebration next year.
