RWC priest named bishop of Reno diocese

Calvo, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redwood City, will assume his new post after his ordination Feb. 17, the diocese said.

A news conference in Reno to announce his appointment Friday was delayed until Wednesday after bad weather forced the cancellation of his flight Thursday night from San Francisco.

Contacted by telephone, the bishop-elect said he’s somewhat overwhelmed by his appointment and the responsibilities that come with leading northern Nevada’s Catholic community.

"At the same time, I feel up to the challenge,” he told The Associated Press. "I’m getting familiarized with what’s going on with the diocese in Reno — a lot of good things going on.”

The youngest of seven children, Calvo was born in Agana, Guam. In 1957, his family moved to San Francisco, where he has lived much of his life.

"Now I will be the seventh bishop of Reno,” he said in written remarks. "Perhaps I will be a ‘lucky seven’ here.”

Calvo said he’s visited northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area and enjoys hiking.

"Now I have come here to work, to take on a new ministry and to make this place my home,” he said.

The Reno diocese has a Catholic population of about 121,00 and covers nearly 71,000 square-miles across 12 counties, stretching from Reno to the Nevada-Utah line.

Calvo said one of the biggest challenges will be meeting the demands of a growing population.

With a shortage of priests, he said he hopes to expand the inclusion of lay people to assume leadership roles within the church community.

"I also hope to get to know the religious leaders of the various Christian churches and other faiths in the area and to work with them for the common good,” he said.

Calvo’s appointment comes as the Catholic church continues to struggle in the wake of priest abuse scandals. The Reno diocese has not escaped the controversy.

This summer, advocates of victims for clergy abuse urged Straling to "come clean” about cases that occurred while he worked in Southern California.

Straling has not been accused of abuse, but is a key witness in dozens of lawsuits filed against priests accused of molesting children in Southern California, where he was assigned before coming to Reno in 1995.

In October, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported accounts by six people claiming abuse by three priests in the Reno diocese during the 1960s and ’70s. No criminal charges were filed, but four of those interviewed said they were filing civil suits.