Bishop of San Jose in California
Oscar Cantú is Bishop of San Jose in California, USA. Bishop Oscar Cantú has served the Catholic Church throughout his priestly and episcopal ministry. He was born on December 5, 1966, in Houston, Texas, to Ramiro and Maria de Jesus Cantú, the fifth of eight children in a deeply faithful family. His parents, originally from small towns near Monterrey, Mexico, instilled in him a strong commitment to his faith and community. Educated in Catholic schools, Bishop Cantú received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dallas and went on to earn both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theological Studies from the University of Saint Thomas in Houston. He completed his theological education in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University, obtaining a licentiate (S.T.L.) and doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) with a focus on Dogmatic Theology; the Italian source gives the Roman doctorate period as 1998-2002. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on 21 May 1994. After ordination he was assistant pastor of Saint Christopher Parish in Houston (1994-1996), Saint Cecilia Parish (1996-1997), and Saint Francis Cabrini Parish in Houston (2002-2003), and then pastor of Holy Name Parish in Houston (2003-2008), where he had been baptized. In addition to parish work, Bishop Cantú was active in the Christian Family Movement, led retreats for youth, worked with Engaged Encounter ministry, and was involved with The Metropolitan Organization (TMO), which focuses on community organizing and social challenges. He taught theology at the University of Saint Thomas and Saint Mary's Seminary. In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio, and he was ordained a bishop on June 2 of that year. In 2013 he became Bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he served until 2018, when Pope Francis appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of San José. On May 1, 2019, Bishop Cantú became the third Bishop of San José. Bishop Cantú currently serves as chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs and as president of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops. He recently represented the USCCB at CELAM (Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño), working with bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean. As former chair of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, he traveled to regions of conflict such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Cuba, and the Holy Land, promoting peace and solidarity with local churches. He has also spoken at the United Nations and other international forums on issues such as nuclear non-proliferation, religious freedom, and human dignity. In addition to English, he speaks Spanish, Italian, and French.