As word spread of the July 11 appointment of Bishop Nelson Perez to lead the Diocese of Cleveland, fellow bishops and others who have worked with the bishop-designate shared their best wishes. Here are some comments from Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York, where Bishop Perez has served as an auxiliary bishop since 2012, and from Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., with whom he served at the parish level before being ordained a bishop.
?Bishop Perez is a compassionate and loving pastor who as Vicar of Eastern Long Island and Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Rockville Centre shepherded the people of God with both the spirit of the divine mercy and the new evangelization,? said Bishop Barres.
?Bishop Perez?s great strength, pastoral insight and support of the people of God in our parishes were drawn from his years as a dedicated pastor of parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He experienced every joy, sorrow and challenge a parish pastor experiences and our priests understood that he knew them and supported them. With his background in counseling, the depth of his prayer life and liturgical life and his joyful and charismatic personality, Bishop Perez brings both the joy and laughter of the Gospel into every room he enters,? added Bishop Barres.
He said that Bishop Perez?s national leadership in Encuentro V has been ?inspirational and has expanded his vision about how to support culturally diverse missionary disciples in every area of the United States of America.?
Archbishop Chaput called Bishop Perez?s appointment a ?moment of great joy for the Church in Ohio and in Pennsylvania.? He said Bishop Perez was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1989 and served there for many years at the parish level with a keen focus on ministry to Hispanic Catholics before being named an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 2012.
?He has a joyful, warm, and down-to-earth personality as well as a deep love for the priesthood and a tireless devotion to his ministry. He?s been much loved by all those he has served and wherever he has served. The faithful of the Diocese of Cleveland are receiving a wonderful gift from the Holy Father in the person of Bishop Perez,? the archbishop said, adding, ?his wide-ranging pastoral and administrative experience among diverse communities makes him well prepared to shepherd a diocese of his own. I?m confident that Bishop Perez will carry on the work of his predecessors with great energy, compassion, zeal, and fidelity.?
As he prepares to begin his new ministry, Archbishop Chaput said he offers Bishop Perez ?heartfelt congratulations on behalf of the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I ask that all people of good will join me in praying that the Holy Spirit will continue to strengthen him as a successor to the Apostles.?
