Bishop Cirilo Flores passed away at 2:47 pm September 6, 2014 at the Nazareth House in San Diego. He died at age 66 after suffering from both bone and prostate cancer, which was diagnosed last spring, after he had a stroke.

His funeral was held September 17th at St. Therese of Carmel Church in Del Mar. Priests and bishops occupied about half of the Church, and the other half held faithful lay people. According to Cathedral Catholic’s Spiritual Director Fr. Martin Latiff, MC, the church was so filled up that “many people were watching the ceremony on a screen in the hall of St. Therese.”

“The funeral was a very good opportunity for bishops and priests to come together and trust his soul to our Lord and pray particularly for his family and the faithful of the diocese of San Diego,” said Fr. Martin.

Bishop Flores was ordained a priest in Orange Country in 1991. He also became an auxiliary bishop in 2009 and a co-adjutor bishop in 2012. On September 18, 2013, Bishop Flores succeeded Bishop Brom, becoming the first Hispanic bishop in the San Diego Diocese. “He was somebody who was going to continue the dedication and efforts that Bishop Brom put into our diocese,” said Fr. Martin.

Bishop Flores grew up in a disadvantaged family; his mother was a high school dropout, and his father came to United States as an immigrant. He was the third child out of six. Bishop Flores’ family could not afford for him to go to a Catholic school, but the Knights of Columbus paid for his tuition at Notre Dame High School in Riverside. Later on, he graduated from Loyola Marymount University and became a teacher. He then got a law degree at Stanford University, and after being a lawyer for ten years, he finally decided to pursue the religious life.

Currently, Monsignor Steven Callahan will serve as the Administrator of the Diocese until San Diego gets a new bishop. “In the mean time, Monsignor Callahan is in charge of keeping the status quo of the diocese and helping things move forward as they have been,” Fr. Martin said.

Bishop Flores touched many people. “He was very welcoming, approachable, and kind. He always made the effort to reach out,” said Fr. Martin.

According to Fr. Martin, “his faith, warmth, joy, and smile” will be missed. “Those qualities have touched the heart of everyone who met him in our diocese.”