UCLA

On May 5, 1970, Patricio Fernández Flores, from Texas, became the first Mexican American bishop, and later archbishop, in the United States Catholic Church. This thesis examines the intersecting systems and networks—mainly religious, cultural, and historical—that shaped Flores's life and ministry. Using his public speeches as testimonio, this thesis situates Flores within Robert Chao Romero’s concept of the Brown Church. Reconstructing Flores’s life narrative fills critical gaps in Chicanx Studies, Theology, and Religious Studies, as his experiences span the Great Depression, segregation, the rise of the Chicano Movement, the development of Liberation Theology, and the reforms of Vatican II. These experiences shaped his ministry and his insistence that the Catholic Church stand with the oppressed and marginalized. This interdisciplinary approach to the reconstruction of a life narrative deepens understanding of how Flores’s ministry challenged dominant narratives within the Catholic Church, fostering a path towards liberation and inclusivity.