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Alberto Rojas
Mexican prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1965) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alberto Rojas (born January 5, 1965) is a Mexican-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino in Southern California since 2020. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 2011 to 2019.
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Early life
Alberto Rojas was born on January 5, 1965, in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and attended elementary, secondary schools and college there. He entered the Santa Maria de Guadalupe Seminary in Aguascalientes at age 15. After coming to the United States, he completed a year of discernment at Casa Jesus in 1993 and then attended Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, Royas earned his Masters of Divinity from Mundelein in 1997.[1][2]
Priesthood
Rojas was ordained on May 25, 1997, as a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal Francis George at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.[3][4]
After his 1997 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Rojas as associate pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish in Chicago. He was transferred in 1999 to serve in the same role at St. Ita Parish in Chicago. Rojas left St. Ida in 2002 to join the faculty of Saint Mary of the Lake, where he taught for the next seven years.[5] In 2010, Rojas was appointed as pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Chicago.[6]
Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
On June 13, 2011, Rojas was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago and titular bishop of Marazanae by Pope Benedict XVI.[6] He received his episcopal consecration at Holy Name Cathedral on August 10, 2011, from Cardinal George with Bishop Józek Guzdek and Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller serving as co-consecrators.[7][4]
While an auxiliary bishop, Rojas also served as episcopal vicar for Vicariate III.[8] He also serve as the archbishop's liaison liaison to Hispanic Catholics and as his delegate to Consejo Pastoral Arquidiocesano Hispano-Americano.[5]
Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of San Bernardino
On December 2, 2019, Rojas was appointed as coadjutor bishop of San Bernardino by Pope Francis to assist Bishop Gerald Barnes in his duties.[1] Rojas automatically became bishop of San Bernardino when Barnes retired on December 28, 2020.[9]
Dispensation decree on attending mass
On July 8, 2025, Rojas issued a decree allowing a dispensation from mass due to raids conducted by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against immigrants.[10][11] Rojas cited the Code of Canon law 87 §1 which states
" A diocesan bishop, whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good, is able to dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws issued for his territory or his subjects by the supreme authority of the Church. He is not able to dispense, however, from procedural or penal laws nor from those whose dispensation is specially reserved to the Apostolic See or some other authority."[12]
The decree only applied to the Diocese of San Bernardino. Additionally, it stipulated that anyone using this dispensation must have a genuine fear of immigration enforcement. In lieu of attending mass, parishioners were encouraged to watch a mass on television or online, pray a rosary or chaplet of divine fercy, make an act of spiritual communion, or to read the Bible. The decree directed pastors to support Catholics spiritually with sacramental preparation and catechesis. [10]
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