Pope Leo Appoints Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda as Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Arturo Cepeda, 56 (photo), to serve as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, which encompasses 19 counties in south-central Texas and has a Catholic population of 1,160,000 and a total population of 2,800,000. With this move, Bishop Cepeda returns to his home diocese where he was ordained a priest in 1996.

Bishop Cepeda, who currently serves as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, will be introduced to the Archdiocese of San Antonio this morning during a press conference at 10 a.m. CDT (11 a.m. EDT in Detroit) on the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s YouTube channel. Later, he will be welcomed formally during two Masses on Oct. 12, in Spanish (8 a.m.) and English (10 a.m.), at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, where he previously served as parochial vicar.

“With the joy of the Gospel in my heart, I am writing to you, dear community of the Archdiocese of Detroit, to share that the Holy Father, Leo XIV, has called me to serve in the Archdiocese of San Antonio,” Bishop Cepeda said. “With the excitement of one embarking on a new journey, but also with the sadness of leaving a beloved family, I give thanks to God, to our Holy Father, to Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, and all of you. I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and for the opportunity I had to serve for 14 years in this archdiocese. My episcopal ministry undoubtedly took shape here, my temporary home. As I begin my new mission, know that I hold you in my prayers and humbly ask that you keep me in yours.”

Bishop Cepeda has served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit since May 5, 2011. In that time, he served as regional moderator for the Northwest region of the archdiocese and, most recently, the Central Region. Prior to his episcopal consecration, he was a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, serving in parish ministry, as Vocation Director, a faculty member, Vice Rector and Rector of Assumption Seminary in San Antonio. He was ordained to the priesthood in San Antonio on June 1, 1996.

“Our beloved brother in Christ, Bishop Arturo Cepeda, has been transferred to the Archdiocese of San Antonio, his former home,” Archbishop of Detroit Edward Weisenburger said. “His 14 years of generous service to the people of our archdiocese is a tremendous gift for which we will be forever grateful. On behalf of the faithful, our deacons and priests, and our brother bishops, I wish him every blessing, success, and joy.”

Bishop Cepeda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from the College Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Santa Fe, New Mexico; a Master of Divinity degree from Assumption Seminary in San Antonio; a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio; and Licentiate and Doctorate in Sacred Theology degrees from the University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome.