José Arturo Cepeda Escobedo (May 15, 1969) is a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexic ...

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 ...

who has been serving as an auxiliary bishop for the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...

since 2011.

Biography

Early life

Jose Cepeda was born in San Luis Potosi City in Mexico on May 15, 1969, to Jose Cepeda and Maria del Socorro Escobedo. He attended Catholic primary and secondary schools in his city run by the Brothers and Sisters of Joseph. After spending a year of spiritual formation, Cepeda entered the Seminario Guadalupano Josefino in San Luis Potosi. After his family immigrated to San Antonio, Texas, Cepeda continued his seminary studies at

Our Lady of the Lake University Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), known locally as the Lake, is a private Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Divine Providence, a religious institute originating in Lorraine, France, durin ...

in the city. He then entered College Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

, earning a Bachelor of Religious Studies degree with a minor in psychology. After returning to San Antonio, Cepeda obtained a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from

Assumption Seminary Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, was established in 1915 to train the Catholic priests of the region to carry out their service to the people. History After its establishment in 1874, the Diocese of San Antonio needed to find a system f ...

Priesthood

On June 1, 1996, Cepeda was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Patrick Flores for the

Archdiocese of San Antonio The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, and sui juris Latin Church in full communion with the pope of Rome. It encompasses in the U.S. state of Texas. The Roman Catholic ...

at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in San Antonio. After his ordination, Cepeda was assigned as

parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

at St, Magdalen Parish while pursuing a Master of

Biblical Theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. Description Although most speak of biblical theology as a particular method or emphasis within biblical studies, some sch ...

degree from St. Mary’s University. Cepeda was then sent to Rome to study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. In 2005, he was awarded

Licentiate in Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theolo ...

(STL) and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (STD) degrees, defending his dissertation in Spiritual Theology. After returning to Texas, Cepeda was given teaching and formation responsibilities at Assumption Seminary and the

Oblate School of Theology The Oblate School of Theology is a Catholic graduate school for theological studies in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1903 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Dr. Scott Woodward has served as its president since October 2020. Cam ...

in San Antonio. He also served as vocation director and faculty member for the Transitional Ministry Formation Program for the archdiocese, and as a member of the Formation faculty of the St. Peter upon the Water Center in Ingram, Texas. Cepeda was named as vice rector of Assumption Seminary in 2009 and rector in 2010, a position he still holds.

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

Cepeda was appointed titular Bishop of Tagase and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit on April 18, 2011, by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. He was installed and consecrated by Archbishop

Allen Vigneron Allen Henry Vigneron (born October 21, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Cayman Islands, serving since 2009. Vi ...

on May 5, 2011, becoming the youngest bishop in the United States at age 41.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Official Site

Episcopal succession

21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops 1969 births Living people Mexican emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Religious leaders from Michigan {{US-RC-bishop-stub