A number of services will give San Diego Catholics the chance to honor the late Bishop Cirilo Flores, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego announced Tuesday.
Flores, 66, died on Saturday at the Nazareth House after a battle with an aggressive form of bone cancer.
The church released plans for his Rite of Christian Burial, which will include five ceremonies.
The first three will be on Sept. 16 at the Saint Joseph Cathedral on Third Avenue. At 10 a.m., leaders will hold a reception of the body, when Flores’ remains will be delivered to the cathedral.
From 10:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., friends, family and followers will be able to pay their respects during the visitation session.
A vigil – or prayer service – for Flores will begin at 7 p.m., during which people may offer eulogies. In the Catholic tradition, eulogies are not given at the funeral.
The next day, mourners will gather at noon for the funeral mass at Saint Therese of Carmel, located at 4355 Del Mar Trails Road.
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Finally, Flores’ body will be buried during the Rite of Committal at the Holy Cross Ceremony, 4470 Hilltop Drive, directly after the funeral mass.
The Diocese requested that instead of flowers, donations should be given to the Bishop Flores Memorial Fund for Catholic Education, Diocese of San Diego, P.O. Box 85728, San Diego Ca 92186.
Now the church is faced with the prospect of appointing a new bishop to take Flores’ place.
In the interim, Monsignor Steven Callahan has been appointed the diocesan administrator by the College of Consultors, tasked with maintaining the status quo of the diocese.
Ordained in 1991, Flores served as the fifth bishop of San Diego for a year after accepting the position last September.
News of his illness spread in April when he suffered a stroke in his office.
