Daniel E. Flores

Daniel Ernesto Flores (born August 28, 1961) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been the Bishop of Brownsville since December 2009. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit from 2006 to 2009.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Daniel Ernesto Flores
Bishop of Brownsville
Diocese	Brownsville
Appointed	December 9, 2009
Installed	February 2, 2010
Predecessor	Raymundo Joseph Peña
Orders
Ordination	January 30, 1988 by René Henry Gracida
Consecration	November 29, 2006 by Adam Maida, Edmond Carmody, and René Henry Gracida
Personal details
Born	August 28, 1961 Palacios, Texas
Previous post	Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit (2006–2010)
Motto	VERBUM MITTITUR SPIRANS AMOREM (The Word Is Sent Breathing Forth Love)

Styles of Daniel Ernesto Flores
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Early life and education

Daniel Flores was born in Palacios, Texas, to Fernando and Lydia Flores,[1] both of whom were born to "families long established around the town of Zapata, Texas, with roots on both sides of the border" between Mexico and the United States.[2] He has two brothers, Billie and Javier, and one sister, Teresa.[3] Shortly after his birth, he and his family moved to Corpus Christi. He graduated from Flour Bluff High School in 1979, and then studied at the University of Texas at Austin for two years before entering Holy Trinity Seminary in 1981.[1] He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy (1983) and a Master's in Divinity (1987) from the University of Dallas.[1]

Priesthood

Flores was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop René Henry Gracida on January 30, 1988,[2] and then served as parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Cathedral. He was also private secretary and master of ceremonies to Bishop Gracida, vice-chancellor of the Diocese, rector of the St. John Vianney House of Studies, and Episcopal Vicar for Vocations (1992–1997).[4] He was raised to the rank of Chaplain to His Holiness in September 1995.[1]

In 1997, Flores was sent to Rome by Bishop Roberto González Nieves, O.F.M., to further his studies. He is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), from which he earned a doctorate in theology in 2000. Flores next served as chancellor of the Diocese of Corpus Christi until August 2001, when he was assigned to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He there served as professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas and Formation Director at St. Mary's Seminary, where he was also vice-rector (2002–2006).[4] Returning to his former diocese, he became rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral in September 2005, assuming full duties in June 2006.[1]

Episcopal career

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On October 28, 2006, Flores was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Titular Bishop of Cozyla by Pope Benedict XVI.[5] He received his episcopal consecration on the following November 29 from Cardinal Adam Maida, with Bishops Edmond Carmody and René Gracida serving as co-consecrators.[6] His episcopal motto, taken from the Summa Theologica, is: Verbum Mittitur Spirans Amorem ("The Word Is Sent Breathing Forth Love").[2] He became the youngest bishop in the United States and was the first Latino bishop in the Detroit Archdiocese.[7]

Bishop of Brownsville

On December 9, 2009, Pope Benedict appointed Flores the Bishop of Brownsville succeeding Bishop Raymundo Joseph Peña.[8] He was installed as bishop there on February 2, 2010.[2]

On November 16, 2020, he was elected to head the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).[9]

See also

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

1. "Biographical Summary". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009.
2. "Bishop Daniel E. Flores, S.T.D." Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020.
3. Kohn, Joe (December 8, 2006). "Family life". The Michigan Catholic.
4. "Msgr. Daniel Flores of Corpus Christi Named Detroit Auxiliary Bishop". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. October 28, 2006.
5. "Rinunce e Nomine, 28.10.2006" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. October 28, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
6. "Bishop Daniel Ernest Flores". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
7. "Youngest bishop in the U.S. ready to "propose the mystery" of the Church to Detroit". Catholic News Agency. November 30, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
8. "Rinunce e Nomine, 09.12.2009" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. December 9, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
9. Hadro, Matt (November 16, 2020). "US nuncio: To heal society's wounds, Catholics must be Good Samaritans". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved November 16, 2020.

External links

• "Catholic Diocese of Brownsville".
• "Bishop Daniel E. Flores, S.T.D." Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020.