New Shepherd: Bishop Flores takes reins of Diocese of Brownsville

SAN JUAN — Clad in jeans and baggy T-shirts, the teenagers giggled as they strolled the long, dark path around the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle.

The Brownsville teens visited the shrine Tuesday evening to watch the installment Mass for Bishop Daniel Flores, who was appointed in December as the sixth bishop to lead the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. He replaces Bishop Raymundo Peña, who was required to submit his resignation when he turned 75 last year, in keeping with canon law.

“We’re really excited,” said Danny Lucio, the teens’ youth minister. “We’ve been talking about it for weeks.”

Inside the shrine, 2,000 people gathered to witness the elaborate, solemn ceremony. Several minutes into the Mass, the crowd rose from the seats and clapped vigorously as the Rev. Jorge A. Gomez notarized the letter in which Pope Benedict XVI appointed Flores. As Gomez embraced Flores to congratulate him, some churchgoers glanced at one another and smiled warmly.

As many as 2,000 other people watched the notarization via a live video feed in an enclosed tent outside the packed shrine, which was heavily guarded by police officers and security guards who only admitted those with reserved seating.

Among those who braved the cold drizzle was Magnolia Bravo, a 30-year-old Progreso resident who brought her three young children to watch the event from the tent.

“It looked very pretty,” Bravo said. “He seems like very good people.”

Lucio said he hopes the 48-year-old Flores — among the youngest bishops in the Catholic Church — will be a guiding hand for the Rio Grande Valley’s youth. The youth minister said he often has to travel to San Antonio or Houston to receive training because it is not offered in the Valley.

“I hope he’ll be a little bit more open to suggestions,” Lucio said. “I hope good things come of it.”

In an interview Tuesday morning, Flores said he feels at home in the Valley.

Flores was born in Palacios — a coastal town about halfway between Corpus Christi and Galveston — and spent part of his childhood in the Valley as his father worked in construction. He said he is looking forward to reconnecting with the community.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve just been so delighted,” Flores said. “I’m just so hopeful about the work we’re going to be able to do together here, and I see myself as someone who will work to … animate others.”

One of his goals is to help families give their children a strong foundation by providing spiritual and other resources they need.

“I think the church needs to constantly encourage families to … spend time with their kids,” Flores said.

Monitor reporter Jennifer L. Berghom contributed to this report. Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.