Fr. Eliseo González, OAR, Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Canonization of Venerable Alphonse Gallegos, former Auxiliary Bishop of Sacramento, shares his latest experience in promoting the cause of Gallegos.
As Vice Postulator of the cause of Venerable Alphonse Gallegos, I would like to share my recent experience while promoting his cause of canonization in Sacramento, California, attending a lowrider cruise on October 2nd in memory of Gallegos and commemoration on October 6th of his entrance into eternal life.
I arrived in Sacramento on October 1st and was received by Frs. Juan Francisco Bracamontes and Antonio Plascencia at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, where I stayed until October 7th. For the entire week, I helped with Masses where I spoke about the virtues of Bishop Gallegos in the homilies and encouraged the faithful to pray for his cause and seek his intercession.
On Sunday October 2nd, we presented the documentary on the life of Bishop Gallegos by EWTN, They Might Be Saints, at 2pm, and attended at 7pm a lowrider cruise, organized by Richard Alcala, in memory of Bishop Gallegos. One hundred cars lined up on Franklin Blvd where Gallegos would often go out and meet with the lowriders and bless their cars. After a brief prayer and blessing, I walked up and down the street blessing cars and got to ride in one of them. The event was on the 11pm news, KCRA 3 – Sacramento.
At Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, where the mortal remains of Bishop Gallegos rest, on Thursday, October 6th, the anniversary of Gallegos’ entrance into eternal life, we prayed for the cause of Bishop Gallegos at the 8am and 7pm Mass. Afterwards, there was a dinner organized by the parish, where the faithful gathered to share memories of Bishop Gallegos. This was the kick off of an initiative in which the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe will pray the rosary and offer the Holy Eucharist for the cause of Gallegos on the 6th of every month.
While in Sacramento, I visited the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home and met with the director Paulette Wyllie to thank her and the staff for their work taking care of single mothers and their newborn babies, which continues the legacy of Gallegos and his defense of the unborn.
I was also able to meet with the leaders of the Hispanic Ministry and the youth group SEARCH of the Diocese of Sacramento. They expressed interest in knowing more about Bishop Gallegos and helping promote his cause of canonization in the Diocese. We hope to be able to incorporate the entire Diocese, English speaking and different ethnic groups, in the promotion of the cause.
On two occasions, I was invited to speak about Bishop Gallegos and his cause of canonization, on the radio station of the Diocese of Sacramento, Radio Santísimo Sacramento.
Once again, it was beautiful to see how Bishop Alphonse Gallegos is still remembered by many, including in a play about him entitled Burnt Tortillas, scheduled next year in Sacramento for February 11 and 12, to continue honoring his memory.