Alfonso Gallegos (1931-1991), Augustinian Recollect, bishop of the Hispanics.

The Augustinian Family celebrates on November 13th, the Feast of all the Saints, who throughout history were part of this dream of Saint Augustine, shaped by the life of community, interiority, and love of wisdom. The so-called Bishop of the Hispanics in the United States, Alphonse Gallegos, is one of these exemplary members.

 

The call to holiness is common to all those baptized in Christ. “Be holy because I am holy,” writes Saint Peter, quoting the book of Leviticus. The Augustinian Recollect Bishop Alphonse Gallegos (1931-1991) desired to be a saint.

Bishop Gallegos often said: “We are called to holiness, but we have to obtain holiness.” And when he was appointed bishop, he wrote in his diary: “May I be a humble and holy bishop.”

The witnesses for his cause of canonization say the following about Alphonse Gallegos’ fame of holiness:

“After having met him, what I remember best is his goodness, gentleness, and holiness. He seemed like a holy person to me. He always seemed to be cheerful and jovial, simply a saint, always happy.”

Another witness says:

“The way he preached the word was almost like that of an apostle. His sermons touched the heart and inspired a lot. I say he should be a saint because I have attended many masses and retreats, but I have not met priests like him. His words were unforgettable.”

When he died there were many people at his funeral, which may be an indication of his fame of holiness:

“The funeral was grand, very emotional. People of all races and social status passed by his corpse day and night. Masses were celebrated at all hours. The funeral was presided over by several bishops and many priests. I was very touched by the great applause he received when they took the coffin out of the Church.”

“When Bishop Gallegos died, the most common feeling was that we had lost a father and a holy pastor.”

Many people, years later, still remember Bishop Gallegos, with affection and admiration. More than thirty years after his death in a traffic accident, testimonies continue to be heard:

“His fame of holiness continues to grow. People consider him one in a million. When they see him in a photo, their expressions are: ‘Such a good bishop’; ‘He was a good Shepherd, like a Father to all of us who knew him’; and they end up saying, ‘he was a Saint.'”

Bishop Richard García, Gallegos’ successor in the Diocese of Sacramento, said:

“I have heard a lot about Bishop Gallegos in the community I serve. I inherited his position and many of his friends; They talk a lot about him. The faithful have already canonized him. Everywhere I go, there are pictures of him. People remember him fondly.”

His legacy, in fact, lives on, especially in California and among Hispanics, the people he served in a special way.

“In memory of Bishop Gallegos, a statue of him has been placed next to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento, California.”

“People have always felt that he was a saint. Most people I talk to remember him as a saint. Bishop Gallegos was a constant example of holiness, but he would be the last to admit it. He always tried to help everyone, that sometimes he forgot to take care of himself.”

The People of God around the world can continue to admire Gallegos’ work, imitate his virtues, and his way of giving himself to others, and can also pray that he be declared a saint: in life, at the moment and occasion of his death and afterwards those signs of holiness are visible, that memory and image that he was a special enlightened human being that radiated a happy life in Christ and with his brothers and sisters.