Gerald Eugene Wilkerson (born October 21, 1939) is an 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 ...

. He served as and auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles ( la, Archidiœcesis Angelorum in California, es, Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in th ...

from 1997 to 2015 and as apostolic administrator for the

Diocese of Monterey ''This article describes the present Diocese of Monterey in California. The entity previously known as the Diocese of Monterey from 1849 until 1859, and subsequently known as the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles from 1859 until 1922, is the presen ...

for six months in 2018 and 2019.

Biography

Early life

A native of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, Gerald Wilkerson grew up in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California.

Priesthood

Wilkerson 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 ...

a priest on January 5, 1965, by Cardinal James McIntyre. After his ordination, Wilkerson served as associate pastor at three Southern California parishes: * Our Lady of Guadalupe in

La Habra La Habra (archaic spelling of ''La Abra'', ) is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. A related city, La Habra Heights, is located to the north o ...

* St. Michael in Los Angeles * American Martyrs in Manhattan Beach Wilkerson then was posted for 15 years at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Encino, California, as administrator and then

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 ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

On November 5, 1997,

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 Wilkerson as the titular bishop of

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...

and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on January 21, 1998. Cardinal

Roger Mahony Roger Michael Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American cardinal and retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011. Before his appointment, he served as Auxiliary Bishop of Fresno from 1 ...

was his principal consecrator, while Bishop Michael Driscoll and Bishop Joseph M. Sartoris were his principal co-consecrators. Wilkerson led the archdiocese's

San Fernando Pastoral Region The San Fernando Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers the San Fernando Valley, San Fernando, Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Clarita, and Antelope Valleys. The current regional au ...

with 54 parishes, 12 high schools, two hospitals, and five missions.

Retirement

On July 21, 2015,

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. ...

accepted Wilkerson's letter of retirement as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, sent because Wilkerson had reached the retirement age of 75 for bishops. On July 20, 2018, Pope Frances appointed Wilkerson as the

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

for the

after the death of Bishop

Richard Garcia Richard Garcia (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for Australia's U23 team, having previously managed A-League Men's side Perth Glory. As a player, Garc ...

. On December 19, 2018, Wilkerson announced that the diocese was hiring an outside law firm to examine its personal records for any credible allegations of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

by clergy. Wilkerson left the apostolic administrator position on January 29, 2019, after the installation of Bishop Daniel E Garcia as the new bishop of Monterey

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles WebsiteUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops News Release

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkerson, Gerald Eugene 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Clergy from Des Moines, Iowa People from Long Beach, California 1939 births Living people 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Catholics from California Catholics from Iowa