Oscar Azarcón Solís (born October 13, 1953) is a Philippine-born prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and current bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City in Utah. Following a 20-month

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

, Solís was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

on January 10, 2017, and installed on March 7, 2017, after Solís' predecessor,

John C. Wester John Charles Wester, (born November 5, 1950) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico since 2015. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Salt ...

, was appointed as Archbishop of Santa Fe. Solís was an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California from 2003 to 2017. Solís is the first

Filipino-American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...

to be consecrated a bishop and the first Asian American to lead a diocese.He speaks fluent

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, Spanish, and

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...

Biography

Early years

The son of Antonia Azarcón and Anselmo dela Fuente Solís, Oscar Solís was born in

San Jose City, Nueva Ecija ) , subdivision_type3 = District , subdivision_name3 = , established_title = Founded , established_date = March 19, 1894 , established_title1 = Cityhood , established_date1 = August 4, 1969 , parts_type ...

in the Philippines on October 13, 1953. He has three sisters and a brother, Ronald Solis, who is a

Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work ...

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 Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 p ...

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...

. He studied philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

and theology at the Pontifical Royal Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He also pursued studies in Asian religions and cultures.

Priesthood

Solis was ordained a priest of the

Diocese of Cabanatuan The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cabanatuan (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cabanatuanensis'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese comprises 16 towns of Nueva Ecija including the cities of Cabanatuan, Palayan, and Gapan ...

in the Philippines by Bishop Vicente Posada Reyes on April 28, 1979 in San Jose.Between 1979 and 1984, he served in his diocese as rector of the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

, secretary of the priests senate, school chaplain, and director of vocations. Solis emigrated to the United States in 1984 and served for four years as parish vicar at Saint Rocco Parish in

Union City, New Jersey Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census the city had a total population of 68,589,Diocese of Newark.He relocated to Louisiana and was incardinated in, or transferred to, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on June 17, 1992. Solis held several parish posts in the diocese between 1988 and 2003, including rector of the St. Joseph Co-Cathedral Parish in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

On December 11, 2003,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Solis as titular bishop of

Urci Urci was an ancient settlement in southeastern Roman Hispania mentioned by Pomponius Mela, Pliny the Elder, and Claudius Ptolemy. The writings of these historians indicate that the city was located in the hinterland of what is now Villaricos, Spain, ...

and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was consecrated bishop by Cardinal Roger Mahony at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels in Los Angelese on February 10, 2004. Solis said at the time that he was familiar with Spanish, but he was out of practice speaking it. In Los Angeles, Solis headed of a council focusing on minority issues as episcopal vicar for ethnic ministry from 2004 to 2009. He chaired and was later a member of the diocese Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs. He was an organizer of the first National Assembly of Filipino Priests in the U.S. in November 2011. He has held several positions with the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

Bishop of Salt Lake City

Pope Francis named Solis bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City on January 10, 2017, when the position had been vacant for 20 months. He was installed on March 7, 2017. Solis has spoken on

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

, 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 Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. (born October 8, 1928) is an American businessman and religious leader who is currently the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has ...

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." In 2018, Solis released the Pastoral Plan for the diocese. It focuses on developing a comprehensive vision for strengthening faith formation, promoting vocations to the priesthood and a universal call for holiness to the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non- ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a lay ...

, seeking new ways to support the diocese financially and support the needy, increasing the reverence and devotion of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

, and upholding the dignity of all in society. Implementation of the plan began in 2018 and was to end in 2023.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solis, Oscar 1953 births 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Living people People from Nueva Ecija University of Santo Tomas alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Francis