Cardinal Roger Mahony will turned over the reins of the Los Angeles Archdiocese to Archbishop Jose Gomez when he retired Sunday at the age of 75.
In masses celebrated in Spanish and English at The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA, transitional ceremonies were held where Mahony passed over his pastoral staff to Gomez.
Gomez is chief shepherd of more than 5 million Catholics, of about which 70 percent are Hispanic, in the archdiocese’s coverage area of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara. It ranks as one of the Nation’s most populous.
