USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - Pope Names Bishops For Des Moines, Little Rock Dioceses, Auxiliaries For San Antonio, Denver, San Francisco Archdioceses

Pope Names Bishops For Des Moines, Little Rock Dioceses, Auxiliaries For San Antonio, Denver, San Francisco Archdioceses

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI named Auxiliary Bishop Richard E. Pates as Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa; and Father Anthony B. Taylor as Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas. He also named Father Oscar Cant� as auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, Msgr. James D. Conley as auxiliary bishop of Denver, and Father William J. Justice as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco.

The appointments were announced in Washington, April 10, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Richard Edmund Pates, 65, up until now auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was born in St. Paul, February 12, 1943. He was named an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2000.

Bishop Pates attended North American College, Rome, and earned a licentiate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University, in 1969. He was ordained a priest in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, in 1968. He was named a monsignor in 1979.

After ordination to the priesthood, he was Associate Pastor, Church of the Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul, 1969-1970, Archdiocesan Vocation Director, 1970-74, and Secretary to the Archbishop, 1973-75. He served in the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, 1975-81.

He was Rector of St. John Vianney Seminary, 1981-87; Archdiocesan Vicar for Seminaries, 1987-90; and Pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, Minneapolis, 1990-98. In 1998, he became founding pastor of the Church of St. Ambrose, in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Anthony B. Taylor, 53, up until now Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Oklahoma City, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, April 24, 1954. He earned a bachelor's degree in history at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, and in 1976, began studies at North American College, Rome. He earned a bachelor's degree in theology from Rome's Gregorian University and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in 1980. His early parish assignments included Associate Pastor, Sacred Heart Church, Oklahoma City, for two years; and Saint Matthew Church in Elk City, Oklahoma, from which he oversaw the Spanish-language ministries of Elk City, Sayre, Clinton and Hinton, Oklahoma.

He studied biblical theology at Fordham University from 1984 to 1989, and was awarded a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology. After studies at Fordham, he returned to Oklahoma City and was named Vicar for Ministries, which included responsibilities for all ministries, continuing education for priests and the permanent diaconate.

Bishop-elect Taylor was appointed founding pastor of a new parish, St. Monica, in Edmond, Oklahoma, and later transferred to Sacred Heart Parish in light of his facility in Spanish.

Bishop-elect Cant�, 41, was until now Pastor of Holy Name Church, Houston.

Oscar Cant� was born on December 5, 1966. He received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Dallas and his master of arts and master of divinity degrees from the University of St Thomas, Houston. He was ordained a priest in 1994.

After ordination his assignments include Parochial Vicar, St. Christopher Parish, Houston 1994-1996; Parochial Vicar, St. Cecilia Parish, Houston, 1996-1997; graduate studies in theology, North American College, Rome, 1998-2002; Parochial Vicar, St. Frances Cabrini Parish, Houston, and Pastor, Holy Name Parish, Houston.

Bishop-elect Conley, 53, up until now has been pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church, Wichita, Kansas.

James D. Conley was born March 19, 1955, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was raised in the faith of his parents, Presbyterian, and chose the Catholic faith during college at age 20 in 1975.

He pursued pre-theology studies at St. Pius X Seminary in Erlanger, Kentucky; and theological studies at Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was ordained in 1985, for the Diocese of Wichita and earned a licentiate in moral theology and ethics at the Academia Alfonsiana, Rome. He was named a monsignor in 1998.

Assignments after ordination included Associate Pastor, St. Patrick Church, Wichita, 1984; Director, Respect Life Activities, Diocese of Wichita, 1985; study in Rome, 1989; Chaplain, St. Paul Newman Center, Wichita, and Diocesan Director, Respect Life Office, 1991; appointment to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, 1992; and Pastor, Blessed Sacrament, Church, Wichita, 2006.

Bishop-elect Justice, 65, has been pastor of Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco since 2003, and archdiocesan vicar for clergy since 2006. He was born May 8, 1942, and holds a master of divinity degree from St. Patrick Seminary. He was ordained a priest from the San Francisco Archdiocese in 1968 and later pursued post-graduate language studies in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Following ordination, he served in several parishes in the archdiocese. He also was director of the Permanent Deaconate office, 1979-1981, and was secretary in the Office of Pastoral Ministry, 1981-1982.