L.A.’s Cardinal Mahony introduces his successor…

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I went to the press conference today in downtown Los Angeles at the  Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels where Cardinal Mahony introduced his successor: Mexican-born Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio.

Gomez hails from Monterrey and was a member of the conservative Catholic movement Opus Dei. As Mahony’s replacement, Gomez will lead the largest diocese in the nation.

You can read the entire article here…but I have to say one of the most touching moments of the press conference came when Gomez spoke about San Antonio, and the people he worked with there.

As Cardinal Mahony stood behind him looking on, Gomez said, “I’m sad to be leaving San Antonio.”

He had to stop to take a sip of water because he was almost in tears.

Then quivering, he said, “I will never forget them, and I will never stop thanking God for the privilege of having served them.”

“But the life of a priest or bishop is not his own,” he continued. “The only real home we have is in the love of our people.”

It was a reminder of how difficult the life of a priest can be, forming intense relationships with people only to have to pick up and leave.