A Gift from the Pope: 5 New Bishops for U.S.A.

Among the new appointments is Monsignor James Conley. a former Presbyterian Christian, who will now serve the Denver Diocese as an auxilliary Bishop.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Zenit) - Benedict XVI made five episcopal appointments affecting the Church in five U.S. states -- Iowa, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado and California.

Of the five appointments, announced Wednesday in Washington, three of the new bishops bring notable experience in Spanish-speaking study and ministry, and one is a convert to the Catholic faith.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard Pates, 65, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was named the leader of the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Charron, who retired exactly one year ago today.

Richard Pates was ordained a priest in St. Peter's Basilica in 1968 and named a monsignor in 1979. Bishop Pates has worked in promoting vocations as well as the archdiocesan secretariat. He served in the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, 1975-81. He was also rector of St. John Vianney Seminary, 1981-87; and the founding pastor of the Church of St. Ambrose, in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Father Anthony Taylor, 53, of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, will fill the almost two-year vacancy of the post of bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas. The bishop-elect succeeds Bishop James Sartain, who was named to lead the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, in May 2006.

Anthony Taylor was ordained for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in 1980. He studied biblical theology at Fordham University, earning a doctorate in that field.

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 in Edmond, Oklahoma, and later transferred to Sacred Heart Parish in light of his fluency in Spanish.

Father Oscar CantĂş, a native of the Diocese of Houston, Texas, was named auxiliary bishop of San Antonio. At 41, the Spanish-speaking bishop-elect is the youngest U.S. bishop.

He was ordained a priest in 1994 and worked in various parishes. He did graduate studies in theology at the North American College in Rome, 1998-2002; and was most recently pastor at Holy Name Parish in Houston.

Monsignor James Conley, 53, of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, was named auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver.

He is a convert to the Catholic faith, having been raised Presbyterian. He was ordained in 1985 and earned a licentiate in moral theology and ethics at the Academia Alfonsiana, Rome. He was named a monsignor in 1998.

In addition to his experience as pastor and in pro-life ministry, Bishop-elect Conley has also served in the Vatican Congregation for Bishops. He was most recently pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Wichita.

Father William Justice, 65, of the Archdiocese of San Francisco was named auxiliary bishop of that city.

He has been pastor of Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco since 2003, and archdiocesan vicar for clergy since 2006.

He was ordained a priest from the San Francisco Archdiocese in 1968 and later pursued post-graduate language studies in Spanish in Guadalajara, Mexico.

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.