POPE ACCEPTS RETIREMENT

FOR BISHOP VALERO

           Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the retirement of Auxiliary Bishop Rene A. Valero of Brooklyn, it was announced in Washington by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, apostolic nuncio to the United States. It became effective Oct. 27.

            Bishop Valero, who has been an auxiliary bishop since l980, turned 75 on Aug. 15. Age 75 is when bishops are required by canon law to submit a letter of resignation to the Holy Father.

            At his retirement, Bishop Valero’s major responsibilities were as the regional bishop for the 56 parishes in the Queens North Vicariate and as Vicar for Aging Concerns, focusing on the needs of the 145 senior priests in the Diocese.

            Over the years he held several leadership positions in the Diocese. In the l970s he headed the Spanish Apostolate, in the l980s he was director of the Catholic Migration and Refugee Office and in the 1990s he chaired the diocesan Committee on Racial Harmony.

            In the region, he chaired the Northeast Hispanic Pastoral Center in the l970s.

            Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, noting that Bishop Valero was the first Hispanic auxiliary bishop in the Brooklyn Diocese, said that in the retired prelate’s 25 years as an auxiliary bishop “we have seen a tremendous growth in the Hispanic population in Brooklyn and Queens.”

            Calling Bishop Valero “a champion of care for all minorities in the Diocese,” Bishop DiMarzio described him as “an outstanding asset to the Diocese, providing leadership not only for the Hispanic population, but also for the many other areas of his competency.”

            As a social worker, Bishop Valero “has brought attention to the care of the elderly, most especially our retired priests, and the many other groups in Brooklyn and Queens,” Bishop DiMarzio said.

            Stating that Bishop Valero will continue to reside in the Diocese “and will offer his assistance in many ways,” the diocesan bishop said “his continued presence will be greatly appreciated.”

            In his new status, Bishop Valero said he looks forward to continuing to serve the Diocese, particularly in administering the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people in the parishes of Brooklyn and Queens. His first as a retired bishop will be at Resurrection Church, Gerritsen Beach, Saturday, Nov. 5.

            The Spanish-speaking prelate will maintain his residence at Blessed Sacrament Church, Jackson Heights, where he once served as pastor and which he calls “the hub of the Hispanic presence in North Queens.”

            A former member of the board of Catholic Relief Services, serving on it for six years in the l980s, he recently re-established formal contact with the U.S. bishops’ overseas aid agency by accepting invitations to preach at Masses on its behalf at parishes in the U.S. He has done so in Houston, San Diego and Hawthorne, Cal.

            “I told CRS that in my retirement I’ll go wherever in the country they want to send me,” he said, adding that the agency has indicated that it values his ability to speak Spanish along with his knowledge of its global work.

            A priest for 49 years, he is the youngest of three sons of Venezuelan parents---Caesar and the late Maria (Cordova) Valero, both natives of Caracas. Mr. Valero, 104, resides at Ozanam Hall, Bayside.

            Born Aug. 15, 1930, in the West Harlem section of Manhattan, where his father worked as an electrician, the future bishop attended St. Joseph’s School there and Sacred Heart Mission House, Girard, Pa., before beginning seminary training at Cathedral College, Brooklyn.

            He completed his preparation and formation for the priesthood at the Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I., and was ordained June 2, 1956, by Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy in what was then called St. James Pro-Cathedral in Brooklyn.

After ordination he served a year at St. Michael-St. Edward’s parish in Fort Greene and three years at St. Agatha’s parish in Bay Ridge, then in l960 he began studies for a master’s degree at Fordham University’s School of Social Service, completing his work two years later.    

For the next 12 years, until l974, he served at Catholic Charities, first at the Family Service Office and then as Kings County director before becoming the first director of the Office for the Aging, where he said he experienced what he described as “five most fulfilling years,” organizing golden age clubs and instituting programs of health services and welfare assistance for the elderly.

In October, l980, while pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish, he was appointed an auxiliary bishop by Pope John Paul II, along with Msgr. Anthony J. Bevilacqua and Father Joseph M. Sullivan. Together, they were ordained for the episcopacy in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica, Bay Ridge, Nov. 24 of that year, with Bishop Francis J. Mugavero as the ordaining prelate.

Bishop Valero said he was prepared for his new status on reaching age 75, saying he gained valuable insights about retirement from his work with senior priests. “Early on, some were affected very hard by the idea of retirement,” he recalled. In time, he said, they came to understand that being relieved of administrative duties did not mean they could no longer be productive as priests.

            “That experience helped me understand retirement,” he said.

            In looking ahead to speaking on behalf of Catholic Relief Services, he said he was heartened by the goodness of people when he preached at St. Cecilia’s Church in Houston to thank them for their generosity in responding to an appeal to aid victims of the tsunamis in South Asia.

            “We gave parishioners dark blue bracelets with the phrase ‘One Human Family’ and the CRS logo and told them it was a gift from CRS,” he said. “Though I explained that we were not looking for a contribution, but that we just wanted to show our gratitude with the bracelets, they insisted on offering a donation anyway.”  It amounted to $847 for CRS’ relief work.

            As for his home Diocese, Bishop Valero said that events like Confirmation ceremonies “have given me a tremendous picture of the ethnic richness” of Brooklyn and Queens. “Each parish has a personality all its own.”

            Confirmations also provide the opportunity to challenge parents to keep the faith alive in their families, he said. He prods them by saying  “You’re here today for this Mass, but will you be here next Sunday?”

            In urging them to “be present at Mass with the rest of the faith community,” he reminds parents that “we profess the same faith, and so let’s come together to be nourished by the Eucharist,” he said.

            Later this month, he will attend the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, but he will be there for the first time as a retired bishop. “I’m looking forward to the camaraderie,” he said. And perhaps for those respites between sessions when he can have a few puffs on his ever-present cigar.

            Back home, he intends to remain “a visible presence,” he said.

                                                                        # # # # #