Bishop Blaire oversees
the Diocese of Stockton, and he was appointed by Pope John Paul II in
1999, becoming the fifth Bishop of Stockton. Throughout his career, he has been a staunch advocate for workers'
rights, commonsense legislation to reduce gun violence, and has
promoted and worked towards social justice gains. As a newly appointed
bishop, he followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, continuing to
address the needs of Spanish-speaking parishioners by bringing more
Spanish-speaking priests to the diocese and maintaining the ministry to
migrant workers. I want to leave Members with some words of wisdom from Bishop Blaire
that I believe we can all take to heart as we head into the Fourth of
July holiday. When he was appointed Bishop of Stockton, he said that
his vision was to build a church that was strong in faith but also
strong in service to the community.