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Pope Francis has accepted the retirement of Auxiliary Bishop Josu Iriondo, the archdiocese’s longtime vicar for Hispanic Ministry who has also served for many years as regional vicar of the South Bronx and pastor of St. Anthony of Padua parish there.
The Feb. 1 announcement came about six weeks after Bishop Iriondo had turned 75 on Dec. 19, the age at which bishops are required by canon law to submit their resignation to the pope.
Bishop Iriondo, in an interview with CNY Monday afternoon, said he was happy to be continuing at St. Anthony of Padua, where he has served for 23 years and been pastor since 2000, and as director of the archdiocese’s Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Center there.
“I am very happy to be in the parish and to be in the Charismatic Renewal,” the bishop said, noting that his work with the Charismatic Renewal puts him in touch with “more Hispanic people” from across the archdiocese “than anything else.”
Working with members of that movement has offered him an education as well as an opportunity to teach, he said. “It’s not business as usual,” he said. “This is life with Jesus. They have taught me.”
Cardinal Dolan, in a separate interview, called Bishop Iriondo a “truly evangelical bishop…who believes in the power of God’s Word and in the awe of the sacraments.”
“He believes that the essence of the Church is to bring people into contact with Jesus Christ, and his grace and mercy, and he does that with amazing effectiveness.”
Since Bishop Iriondo has reached the normal retirement age for pastors, Cardinal Dolan confirmed that he will now serve as administrator at St. Anthony of Padua parish and continue as director of the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Center.
The bishop’s propensity for spending hours in the confessional during retreat weekends at the Charismatic Center led the cardinal to draw a comparison to the Curé of Ars, St. John Vianney.
“He’s a real apostle for reconciling people with the faith, for repairing broken marriages and for bringing people back to baptism and the Eucharist,” the cardinal said.
Bishop Iriondo, who had served as vicar of Hispanic Ministry since 1997 and regional vicar of the South Bronx since 2002, will no longer carry out those duties.
In a statement released Feb. 1, the cardinal cited the bishop’s dedication “to serving the people of this archdiocese, particularly the Hispanic people who are such an important and growing part of our Catholic community.” He added that he was pleased to be able to count on the bishop’s “wise counsel and assistance in the years to come.”
Bishop Iriondo was ordained to the episcopacy by Cardinal Egan in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in December 2001. Also ordained at the same Mass were Auxiliary Bishop Dominick J. Lagonegro, now vicar of the northern counties of the archdiocese, and Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell, who now leads the Diocese of Springfield, Mass.
A native of the Basque Country, Spain, he was ordained there for the Canons Regular of the Lateran in 1962. He came to New York in 1968, first serving as chaplain to the Sisters, Servants of Mary, and then doing pastoral work primarily among the migrant community at St. Joseph’s parish, Middletown. He then served in Manhattan at St. Lucy’s and Holy Rosary parishes.
His first pastorate was at Our Saviour parish in the Bronx, where he was parochial vicar for two years before serving as pastor for 12 years, 1978-1990. He served for nine years as administrator of St. Anthony of Padua, during which time he was incardinated into the archdiocese in 1996, before his appointment as pastor. He was named a monsignor in 1999.
As he approached retirement age, Bishop Iriondo said he recognized that “it’s time” to shed some of his pastoral and administrative responsibilities.
“To be freer was an advantage,” he said. “You have less energy, you see less, you hear less.”
For Bishop Iriondo, being a good pastor and vicar was not about proving how much Church law he knew or how many administrative responsibilities he held, it was more about helping others to cultivate the personal relationship with Jesus that he enjoys.
“The knowledge of the Church doesn’t come from knowing, it comes from living with Jesus,” he said. “The Gospel is alive.”
