Francisco González Valer, S.F. (born May 22, 1939) is a Spanish-born American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. González served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2014.

Biography

Early life

One of five children, Francisco González Valer was born in

Arcos de Jalón Arcos de Jalón is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. , it had a population of 1,782. List of settlements included in the municipality * Aguilar de Montuenga * Chaorna * Jubera * Judes * Iruecha * Lay ...

in the

province of Soria Soria is a Province (Spain), province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Castile and León. Most of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico area. Demogr ...

, Spain. He has a brother and sister who are both members of Catholic

religious order A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

s in Spain. González entered the Seminario Misional de la Sagrada Familia in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

in 1951, and took his final

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...

in the religious congregation of the

Sons of the Holy Family The Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph ( la, Congregatio Filiorum Sacrae Familiae, Iesu, Mariae et Ioseph; abbreviated ''S.F.'') is a Latin Institute of Consecrated Life for priests in the Catholic Church (a type ...

in 1960. González came to the United States to study

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

, obtaining an Master of Arts degree in

comparative In general linguistics, the comparative is a syntactic construction that serves to express a comparison between two (or more) entities or groups of entities in quality or degree - see also comparison (grammar) for an overview of comparison, as wel ...

international education International education refers to a dynamic concept that involves a journey or movement of people, minds, or ideas across political and cultural frontiers. It is facilitated by the globalization phenomenon, which increasingly erases the constrai ...

in 1967.

Priesthood

On May 1, 1964, González was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

into the priesthood for the Sons of the Holy Family order by Bishop John J. Russell in Richmond, Virginia. In 1986, González became a teacher at the

Academy of the Holy Cross The Academy of the Holy Cross is a Catholic college preparatory school sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and founded in 1868. The academy is located on a campus in North Bethesda, Maryland (Kensington postal address),

in Kensington, Maryland, serving there until 1971. González then held pastoral assignments in the

Archdiocese of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

, also serving as

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

and pro-

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

at the

Marriage Tribunal Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

. In 1975, González returned to Spain to teach and perform

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

work for a year. In 1982, after returning to the United States, González was assigned as was

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Our Lady of Peace Parish in

Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of 17.12% since the 2010 ...

, serving there until 1983. In 1984, González moved back to Maryland, teaching at St. John's School in

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederi ...

until 1986. In 1986, He was appointed as director of Hispanic,

Cursillo ''Cursillos in Christianity'' ( es, Cursillos de Cristiandad, "Short courses of Christianity") is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church. It was conceived in Spain between 1940 and 1949 and began with the celebration of the so-called "first c ...

, and

Charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...

movements in the

Archdiocese of Washington The Archdiocese of Washington is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the District of Columbia and the counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, P ...

. He was named the national

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

for Cursillo in 1987, serving there until 1989. González was appointed coordinator of the Hispanic Family Life Office in 1992. In 1993, González started writing a weekly column for the ''

El Pregonero ''El Pregonero'' is the official Spanish-language newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., published by ''Carroll Publishing Company''. It was first published in 1977 by the Spanish Catholic Center, making it the oldest Sp ...

'' newspaper. González was named pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in

Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea C ...

, in 1996. The next year, he was transferred to the position of

episcopal vicar Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

for Hispanic Catholics. González's congregation elected him three times as a delegate to their General Chapters. He also served as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Holy Family Seminary in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

, and as vice- provincial superior for the Sons of the Holy Family in the United States until 2001.

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington DC

On December 28, 2001,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, appointed González as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington and the

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Lamphua Lamphua was an ancient city and bishopric in Roman Africa and remains a Latin Catholic titular see. Its present location is Aïn-Foua, in modern Algeria. History Lamphua was important enough in the late Roman province of Numidia to be one of its ...

. He was consecrated on February 11, 2002, by then Cardinal

Theodore McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (born July 7, 1930) is a laicized American bishop and former cardinal of the Catholic Church. Ordained a priest in 1958, he became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1977, then became Bishop of Metuch ...

, with Cardinal James Hickey and Bishop

Leonard Olivier Leonard James Olivier, (October 12, 1923 – November 19, 2014) was an African-American Catholic bishop. He was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Biography Priesthood In 1951 he was ordained a priest for the Society of the Divine Word in Bay ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. González was the first member of his order to be appointed as a bishop.

Retirement

On May 27, 2014, González submitted his letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington to

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

, having reached the mandatory retirement age for bishops of 75. On October 8, 2021, González moved back to Spain to be with his family.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Valer, Francisco 1939 births Living people People from the Province of Soria 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Spanish Roman Catholic bishops in North America Catholic University of America alumni Spanish emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington Roman Catholic bishops in Washington, D.C.