SAN JOSE CITY, Nueva Ecija—A Novo Ecijano assumed his post as the new Catholic bishop of Salt Lake City in Utah, making him the first Filipino and the first Asian bishop in that state.
Bishop Oscar Azarcon Solis, 63, was installed in ceremonies in Salt Lake City’s Cathedral of the Madeleine followed by an evening reception at the Salt Lake City Marriot City Creek Hotel.
Solis succeeded Bishop John Charles Wester, who was appointed to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in April 2015, which left the Cathedral of the Madeleine bishop-less for two years.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the appointment is “massively significant” on the national front. It noted that there are around 300,000 Catholics in Utah, including 18,000 Asian Catholics, most of whom are of Filipino heritage.
The HuffPost online website said the Pope’s decision to appoint Solis demonstrates his support for the “immigrant population all over the world.”
Solis was appointed by Pope Francis last January. He is a native of this city where he was born on Oct. 13, 1953. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cabanatuan on April 28, 1979.
From 1979 to 1984, he held various positions such as rector of the diocesan high school and college seminary, vocations director, professor and on the diocesan priests’ council.
It was the second record established by Solis who, in 2003, became the first Filipino to be named bishop in the US when he was appointed an auxiliary to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope John Paul II. In his position, he reportedly visited some 200 churches.
It was reported that Los Angeles bishops gave him a parka, skis, and an Apple Watch as send-off gifts as he headed to Utah.
Solis, who moved to the US in 1984 where he served as parochial vicar of a parish in Union City in New Jersey, and later in parishes in Louisiana, said his appointment was a “tremendous blessing.”
“It is a recognition of the diversity of the Church in America and the universality of the Church,” said Solis, who speaks Spanish.
Solis was said to be key in establishing the National Association of Filipino Priests-USA, per Rev. Alex Aclan, vicar for clergy at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
“He is a major ingredient in the glue that has bonded the Filipino priests together,” said Aclan.
In San Jose, residents rejoiced over Solis’ installation.
Former board member Joseph Ortiz, a lay minister of the Saint Joseph Diocese here and president of the Parish Pastoral Council, said Solis’ appointment has put San Jose City and the Philippines on the international map.
He said Solis is being looked up to by the people of San Jose City as an inspiration and a role model.
Solis, who traces his roots to Cadhit St., Barangay Canuto Ramos here, has been described by Ortiz as “reserved, humble and has no star complex despite his lofty stature.”
“He may be Bishop Solis but he remains soft-spoken and down-to-earth,” said Ortiz of Solis, who came home last January and even held Mass at the local cathedral.
“Everywhere he goes, Bishop Solis is the epitome of a true man of God: humble and not arrogant. You would not think he is a bishop the way he conducts himself,” Ortiz said of the bishop, whose brother Ronald is also a priest based in Rome.
He recalled that one time, the bishop went to a place specially reserved for him. When there was a road obstacle, he went down from his vehicle and removed the road block himself, without asking anyone for assistance.
“There is no condescension in him, though he is a religious icon in his own right,” he added.
Solis’ assistant, Angelic Nunez, added that when worshippers showed up at his office looking for help, the bishop would take time to listen to them and even give them food and money.
Ortiz also recalled that the bishop once visited a place in Barangay Tayabo where he spent his childhood, and showed them a tree where his name was carved inside a heart.
He said the bishop was a matinee idol in his youth. “He was so handsome, and girls swooned over him. He was also a basketball player who liked to dunk the ball,” he said. “He is proudly Novo Ecijano.”