On March 27, 2010 after a solemn concelebrated mass at 12 noon presided by Bishop Jaime Soto, the mortal remains of the Servant of God Alphonse Gallegos, will be transferred to a new tomb at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 711 T St. Sacramento, CA.

Prior to this event, the body of the late Bishop will be exhumed from St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Sacramento where he has been laid to rest for the last 19 years. The purpose of exhumation is not to satisfy the curiosity of knowing whether or not the body is incorrupt but to certify that the mortal remains of a Servant of God, whose cause for canonization is in progress, are authentic. The canonical recognition is under the competence of the Bishop of the Diocese or his delegate. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome provides instructions to be followed and requires that the civil legislation should be observed. Together with the Bishop or his delegate there will be the Promoter of Justice, the Notary, the members of the Postulation for the Cause of Canonization and persons needed to open the vault and conduct the inspection of the body. This is a private affair. After the recognition has been completed the vault is sealed with the seal of the Bishop.

Having obtained the Decree from the same Congregation in Rome, the body will be transferred to a new tomb, safe and more dignified for a Servant of God. This will allow the devotees to have an easy access to his tomb and ask for his intercession. While still in this process no public cult, as in the case of those declared blessed and saints, is allowed but just personal devotion.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE SERVANT OF GOD

Alphonse Gallegos was born in Alburquerque, New Mexico on February 20, 1931. He joined the Order of the Augustinian Recollects and was ordained a priest on May 24, 1958. He exercised his religious and priestly ministries in Suffern (New York), Kansas City, San Miguel Church, Watts, Cristo Rey Church, Glendale (California) and was elected by the bishops of California as the first Director of the Division of Hispanic Affairs. On November 4, 1981 he was ordained as auxiliary bishop of Sacramento, California.

The Servant of God was a very humble person, simple and gentle mannered. He was full of life and always positive in everything he said and did. With him everything seemed possible and nothing was hopeless or without a solution or remedy. Life was a joyful journey filled with laughter and celebration, surprise and wonder and always with the promise of possibility. Never did he complain about his health or any discomfort. He avoided calling attention to his poor eyesight and did not speak of any limitations due to his vision problems.

His flock acknowledged his great charism of being ‘present’ to people without excluding anybody. For him there was no distinction on account of class, creed and much less, race. His love and dedication to the poor was admirable. He regularly visited the migrant camps, spending his vacations working alongside them. He acted as a public voice for the field workers and migrants in their demand for social justice and issues relating to immigration. Much of his time was spent in the formation of the youth. He spent time with the ‘low-riders’, blessing their cars and with troubled youth, reaching out to gang members. He spoke against the culture of death, opposing both abortion and the proliferation of atomic weapons. His life was totally dedicated to the apostolate and he firmly stood as a witness to the Gospel values. Above all, he was extraordinarily a man of God through his profound prayer life and devotion to the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

One busy Sunday, October 6, 1991, after fulfilling all his ministerial duties, while on his way back home he met a tragic vehicular accident which immediately claimed his life and put an end to his 33 years of priestly life and 10 years as a bishop. With his death his flock lost “a holy man, a loving priest, a caring bishop”.

Due to the clamour of the public, his Cause for Canonization was presented to the Bishops of the San Francisco Province and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan process for the Cause of Canonization was initiated on December 4, 2005 and concluded on November 5, 2006 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento, California. At the moment the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has already given the decree of validity of the diocesan process. The next step is to present a “Positio” from the testimony of the witnesses to prove that Bishop Gallegos practiced virtues in a heroic manner and enjoyed the fame of sanctity both during his life and after his death. Once this is approved, a miracle through his intercession is needed for beatification and another miracle for him to be declared a saint.