Francisco Mora y Borrell
Encyclopedia
Francisco Mora i Borrell (1827–1905) was a Catalan American
Roman Catholic priest
, serving as the Bishop of Monterey-Los Angeles from 1878 to 1896.
Francisco Mora was born in Gurb (Catalonia
), Spain
on November 25, 1827. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Monterey, on March 19, 1856 and served as a missionary priest in several rural parishes until 1863 when he was named rector
of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles
. Shortly afterwards, he was named Vicar-General for the diocese. On May 29, 1873, Pope Pius IX
named him coadjutor bishop
of Monterey-Los Angeles with the right of succession, and titular bishop
of Mosynopolis
. Bishop Thaddeus Amat ordained him bishop on August 3, 1873.
Bishop Mora took over the diocese on May 12, 1878 after the death of Bishop Amat. He served as pastor of the diocese for 18 years, during which time he worked to put the Catholic Church on a firm footing in the state of California
. In 1895 he established The Catholic Tidings, the first Catholic newspaper for Los Angeles.
Francisco Mora resigned as Bishop of Monterey-Los Angeles on February 1, 1896 and returned to Spain where he died on August 3, 1905 at the age of 77.
Catalan American
Catalan Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who acknowledge ethnic Catalan ancestry and self-identify with it. The group is formed by Catalan-born naturalized citizens or residents, their descendants and, to a lesser extent, citizens or residents of Catalan descent who came...
Roman Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, serving as the Bishop of Monterey-Los Angeles from 1878 to 1896.
Francisco Mora was born in Gurb (Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
), Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
on November 25, 1827. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Monterey, on March 19, 1856 and served as a missionary priest in several rural parishes until 1863 when he was named rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Shortly afterwards, he was named Vicar-General for the diocese. On May 29, 1873, Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
named him coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Monterey-Los Angeles with the right of succession, and titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Mosynopolis
Mosynopolis
Mosynopolis , known in late Antiquity as Maximianoupolis, was a Byzantine town in Thrace located on the Via Egnatia near the modern Greek city of Komotini. The town was destroyed by the Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan in 1207 after his victory over the Latin Empire in the battle of Mosynopolis...
. Bishop Thaddeus Amat ordained him bishop on August 3, 1873.
Bishop Mora took over the diocese on May 12, 1878 after the death of Bishop Amat. He served as pastor of the diocese for 18 years, during which time he worked to put the Catholic Church on a firm footing in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1895 he established The Catholic Tidings, the first Catholic newspaper for Los Angeles.
Francisco Mora resigned as Bishop of Monterey-Los Angeles on February 1, 1896 and returned to Spain where he died on August 3, 1905 at the age of 77.