Bishop David Arias, OAR celebrates
Silver Jubilee of Episcopal Ordination

Slide Show

The cherry blossoms in Branch Brook Park were in full bloom, adding to the beauty of the stately cathedral basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, which was the setting on April 13 for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop David Arias, OAR. Archbishop John J. Myers and a number of other bishops from the Archdiocese were present for the 10:00 AM bilingual liturgy. The cathedral was filled with a large number of well-wishers, including Fr. Provincial, Charles Huse, local Recollects from St. Augustine Province and the St. Nicholas Delegation, and students from Tagaste Monastery. Dn. Juan José Guzman served as principal deacon and proclaimed the Gospel. Bishop Arias, who retired as Auxiliary Bishop of Newark after celebrating 50 years of priesthood in 2005, was obviously moved by the size and enthusiasm of the congregation, and expressed his gratitude to God and to all those present for the constant support he had received during his years as Bishop. He also reflected on being the first Hispanic bishop of Newark, and indeed of New Jersey, and the work he had done to try to integrate the growing Hispanic community into the life of the local church through identifying and striving always to respond to their needs. In spite of his formal retirement, Bishop Arias has remained active in church ministry and has stayed close to his Augustinian Recollect roots. After the liturgy a reception was held in the Pastoral Center across the street from the cathedral where all repaired for refreshments and an opportunity to personally greet Bishop Arias.
 
In an interview with The Catholic Advocate  prior to his anniversary celebration Bishop Arias spoke of the origins of his priestly and religious vocation as an Augustinian Recollect in a talk given by a missionary priest that he had heard in his youth. “He asked who in the class was thinking of becoming a priest, and I said that I was.” Bishop Arias was ordained to the priesthood at the XXXV International Eucharistic Congress in Barcelona, Spain in 1952, and has held numerous positions in Mexico City, Kansas, and New York during his years as an Augustinian Recollect friar. Perhaps his most notable work was with the Cursillo and Marriage Encounter Movements in New York from 1967-83. He was serving as director of Hispanic Affairs for the Archdiocese of New York when he received notification of his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Newark in 1983. Besides his work in parochial and cursillo ministry, Bishop Arias has written a number of books including Luz y Vida, The Spanish Roots of America, and Spanish Americans: Lives and Faces. He recently published his graduate thesis El Trabajo Manual en el Monacato Agustiniano. Congratulations to Bishop Arias on the occasion of this milestone in his priestly ministry; may God’s blessings accompany him as he continues to follows that divine call that he received so many years ago!

Fr. John Gruben, OAR