Joseph Vincent Brennan (born 20 March 1954) is a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

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 ...

who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Fresno in California since 2019. He previously served as an 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 2015 to 2019.

Early years

Brennan was born in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...

, California. He was ordained a priest on June 21, 1980. After his ordination, Brennan served as associate pastor at three parishes in Southern California: Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, St. Linus in Norwalk, and the former Cathedral of St. Vibiana in Los Angeles. Brennan was later a pastor at two parishes, returning to St. Linus in Norwalk and Holy Trinity in San Pedro. Brennan also served as the

moderator of the curia Moderator of the curia is a top administrative position held by a Catholic priest in a diocese under the supervision of the bishop. The moderator coordinates the exercise of the administrative duties and oversees the office holders, or curia, in ...

for the archdiocese. In this role, he was in residence at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and at Mother of Sorrows Catholic Parish. Brennan also served as the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

for the archdiocese. Brennan was also a chaplain for the Knights of Columbus in California, a member of the Council of Priests and the

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

of the archdiocese, and also sits on the Board of the Catholic Education Foundation, the Williams Charitable Trust, and Together in Mission.

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

Brennan was appointed by

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. ...

as titular bishop of Trofimiana and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on July 21, 2015. He was ordained by Archbishop José Gómez on September 8, 2015. Gómez made him his episcopal vicar for the

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 ...

Bishop of Fresno

On March 5, 2019, Brennan was named bishop of the Diocese of Fresno by Francis. He was installed on May 2, 2019.

Views

Abortion

Brennan opposes abortion. When Archbishop

Salvatore J. Cordileone Salvatore Joseph Cordileone (born June 5, 1956) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church and the archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, Archdiocese of San Francisco in California since 2012. He previously served as bis ...

announced that

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

was prohibited from receiving communion in the

Archdiocese of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...

, Brennan supported the decision.

Unions

In August 2022, Brennan marched with farmworkers in support of the Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act, that allows for farmworkers to use mail-in ballots for union elections.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno Official SiteRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Official Site

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Joseph Vincent 1954 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Francis