Jaime Soto

In more than a decade as the Roman Catholic church's vicar to the Latino community in Orange County, Jaime Soto proved himself a tireless advocate on a wide range of issues. Last week the church elevated him to the rank of auxiliary bishop, the second-ranking priest in the Diocese of Orange. The church estimates the Catholic population of the county at 1 million, with nearly half Latinos. Soto, raised in Stanton and a graduate of Mater Dei High School, has been a beacon for the community.

When I saw the teaser on the front of the paper about Barcelona and Latin music ["Barcelona's New Beat," June 26], I had a hunch Agustin Gurza was behind it. Great article about Barcelona and the music scene. I also am enamored with Barcelona. I have been there at least three times. It is a beautiful, charming and exhilarating city with a nonstop cultural life. Jaime Soto Orange

Even as hundreds of Catholics gathered in an air of festivity to honor the patron saint of Mexico, the Orange County diocese's top Latino leader warned parishioners Sunday that a rising tide of violence and hatred are threatening "the soul of our people." "We are profoundly hurt by the vicious cycles of violence that rob our communities of our young people and our hope," Msgr.

Re "Church in Murky Waters," Editorials, Dec. 3: The long view recommended by The Times overlooks the importance of what we are doing here and now. The stories from the Boston Archdiocese dishearten and anger all of us. That view should not overlook what is being done here and now in the Diocese of Orange. Nor should the intent of the statement signed by Bishop Tod Brown and me be interpreted by the actions of Boston. We made a commitment to the Roman Catholic community in Orange County to be transparent in the leadership and administration of the Diocese of Orange.

Prisoner Manuel Gonzalez Palma believes he's a religious man, but he said he didn't plan to go to Mass Sunday morning until he heard God calling his name. The voice brought him to the yard at Santa Ana Jail, a gray cinder-block room where he and about 50 federal inmates heard a special Mass for prisoners. And when he did arrive, Palma felt compelled to take the microphone and lead his fellow prisoners in spontaneous song.

The man who is likely the most visible and influential Latino Catholic in Orange County got his first lessons in social responsibility at the family breakfast table, listening to Spanish-speaking strangers. His father would regularly bring them home from daily Mass at St.

A high-ranking Catholic priest has resigned from a committee considering the idea of a health clinic at an elementary school, because information on contraception and abortion might be given out. "I couldn't have my name associated with that and risk the confusion, so that prompted my resignation," Msgr. Jaime Soto, liaison to the Latino community for the Diocese of Orange, said Thursday. Soto resigned from the 20-member advisory group to the Santa Ana Unified School District last week.

When I saw the teaser on the front of the paper about Barcelona and Latin music ["Barcelona's New Beat," June 26], I had a hunch Agustin Gurza was behind it. Great article about Barcelona and the music scene. I also am enamored with Barcelona. I have been there at least three times. It is a beautiful, charming and exhilarating city with a nonstop cultural life. Jaime Soto Orange

What an uplifting and refreshing story on Msgr. Jaime Soto ("In Good Faith," July 31). In contrast to violent, pessimistic stories on man's inhumanity to man, an article featuring a Roman Catholic priest, committed to his goal to help those in need, remaining unyielding to popular sentiment that may be in contrast to his sense of duty, gently in a steadfast way, is laudable. Articles that tell of the good people are wonderful. Thank you. NANCY J. ROW Orange

Agustin Gurza's column on July 24 [detailed] the heart-wrenching pastoral decisions before the pastor and people of the mission church of St. Isidore in Los Alamitos. It neglected to mention the many noble and heroic efforts of Catholic communities that within a single generation have created some of the most dynamic multicultural communities to be found anywhere in the county. Many parishes have become home to a variety of cultures and languages, the Hispanic community being the most prominent in more than 30 of these parishes.

Father Jaime Soto said he was "sweating bullets" the first time he talked to Latino parishioners about AIDS in the 1980s. "But a woman came up to me afterward," he said, "and told me, 'Father, thank you for showing me how to talk about sex to my children.' " Now Soto, auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, has become a key liaison between AIDS prevention advocates and Latinos, who make up an ever greater percentage of new AIDS cases.

The Comite del Amor (Committee of Love), which has been fighting to reopen St. Isidore Catholic Church, may soon have an opportunity to lease the building, with an option to buy. Though officials at the Diocese of Orange maintain that the building will not be reopened as a church, they have set an Oct. 1 deadline to reach an agreement to reopen the building to the community. "We've been having a series of meetings with the Comite [about the church]," Bishop Jaime Soto said.

Prisoner Manuel Gonzalez Palma believes he's a religious man, but he said he didn't plan to go to Mass Sunday morning until he heard God calling his name. The voice brought him to the yard at Santa Ana Jail, a gray cinder-block room where he and about 50 federal inmates heard a special Mass for prisoners. And when he did arrive, Palma felt compelled to take the microphone and lead his fellow prisoners in spontaneous song.

In more than a decade as the Roman Catholic church's vicar to the Latino community in Orange County, Jaime Soto proved himself a tireless advocate on a wide range of issues. Last week the church elevated him to the rank of auxiliary bishop, the second-ranking priest in the Diocese of Orange. The church estimates the Catholic population of the county at 1 million, with nearly half Latinos. Soto, raised in Stanton and a graduate of Mater Dei High School, has been a beacon for the community.

Jaime Soto, for more than a decade an advocate for the Latino community, immigrants and the poor, was ordained Wednesday as auxiliary bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, the first Latino in that position here and, at 44, the youngest bishop in the United States. The two-hour service drew more than 1,500 parishioners and dignitaries, including Catholic and Latino leaders, to St. Columban Church in Garden Grove.

Jaime Soto, for more than a decade a tireless advocate for the county's Latinos, was ordained Wednesday as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Orange, the first Latino to attain that position here and, at 44, the youngest bishop serving in the United States today. The solemn two-hour service drew more than 1,500 parishioners and dignitaries, including Catholic and Latino leaders, to St. Columban Church in Garden Grove.

As a resident of the 46th Congressional District, I agree with my good friend Msgr. Jaime Soto's plea ("Vote Fraud Debate," Letters, Nov. 17) to focus on the issues facing the neighborhoods here. Too long the rhetoric and heat has been about extraneous party jockeying for a better position in the next election. I do disagree with Msgr. Soto and his analysis of Rep. Loretta Sanchez's position on a woman's right to an abortion. I believe this congressional district mirrors the nation in wanting women to have the final say about if and when to bring a child into the world.

Re "Church in Murky Waters," Editorials, Dec. 3: The long view recommended by The Times overlooks the importance of what we are doing here and now. The stories from the Boston Archdiocese dishearten and anger all of us. That view should not overlook what is being done here and now in the Diocese of Orange. Nor should the intent of the statement signed by Bishop Tod Brown and me be interpreted by the actions of Boston. We made a commitment to the Roman Catholic community in Orange County to be transparent in the leadership and administration of the Diocese of Orange.

Jaime Soto, Orange County's longtime vicar to the Latino community, was the calm in a whirlwind Tuesday, juggling his usual round of meetings and duties with a frenzy of last-minute preparations for today's ceremony to install him as a bishop. At St. Columban Church in Garden Grove, he rehearsed his steps for the 3 p.m. service, at which 1,500 dignitaries and parishioners are expected to watch the 44-year-old bishop-elect become the first Latino ordained a bishop in the Diocese of Orange.

Msgr. Jaime Soto, a veteran priest and noted activist on immigration issues, was named second in command of Orange County's Roman Catholic diocese on Thursday, the latest move by local church leaders to better serve their Latino congregants. The appointment as auxiliary bishop, which puts Soto in line to become a bishop himself some day, "represents the maturity of this diocese and the significance of the Latino people here in Orange County," said Msgr. Lawrence J.