Alphonse Gallegos

Gallegos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his father was a carpenter, and his mother a homemaker caring for their 11 children. He had a twin brother, Eloy, grew up in Watts, attended Manual Arts High School and received confirmation from then auxiliary bishop Timothy Manning. The family attended San Miguel parish, which was run by the Order of Augustinian Recollects. Gallegos attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City, graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, New York, St. John's University in New York and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He was transferred to the Diocese of Sacramento where Gallegos served from 1979 to 1981 as the first director of the Division of Hispanic Affairs of the California Catholic Conference. ==Auxiliary bishop==

On August 24, 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed Gallegos auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, in Sacramento, California as the titular bishop of Sasabe. ==Death==

On October 6, 1991, Gallegos died when he was struck by a driver Gallegos died instantly. He was considered an unofficial chaplain to lowriders and migrant workers. In honor of the “Bishop of the Barrio,” about 300 lowrider cars formed part of his funeral procession from the parish of St. Rose where he lived to the city's Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. ==Beatification process==

In 2005, after eleven months of scrutiny, the cause for Gallegos's beatification was opened by Bishop William Weigand. On March 25, 2010, his remains were transferred to the parish he resided in as an auxiliary bishop. This parish is the Sanctuary of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe also known as Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Sacramento. On July 8, 2016, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Servant of God Alphonse Gallegos and naming him venerable. ==Legacy==

I would like to be remembered as having helped the young people how to appreciate who they are and to value the life God has given them. I would also like to be remembered as having appreciated people and all that they have to offer in making the world a better place to live in. Because he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and supporter of the unborn, Bishop Gallegos Assembly 2336 and Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home are named for him. The city of Sacramento named a section of Eleventh St. between K and L Streets the Gallegos Square in his memory. In 1997, a statue of Bishop Gallegos was unveiled in Gallegos Square next to the cathedral. ==References==