The celebration began with a solemn Eucharist presided over by Bishop, David Arias who was also accompanied by the Bishop of Leon diocese Monseñor Julián López. Also concelebrating were José Antonio Arias, the bishop’s brother, an Augustinian Recollect, the Provincial of St. Nicholas Province Rafael Mediavilla, and some other priests. Present in the celebration were Consuelo Arias, a sister of the bishop and the Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of Conso-lation of the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters.
Bishop Arias received many signs of gratitude from the local and Provincial authorities headed by the Vice President of the City Hall of Leon, Cipriano Elías. The President of the local Assembly of Villaviciosa dela Ribera, Laureano Díez. The President of the Assembly of Castille and León, Juan Vicente Herrera who had a personal message in which he made mention of his friendship with Bishop Arias ever since the celebration of the Edades del Hombre exhibition of 2002 in New York City.
The township of Villaviciosa showed its appreciation for Bishop Arias with folklore mu-sic, typical leonese dances, a buffet for all those present and the plaque in the Church Square. In every moment Bishop Arias found himself covered with the affection of family and friends some of whom came especially from Mexico and the United States for the event. The Diario de León and other media from the region echoed the celebration.
The Archbishop of New Jersey, John J. Meyers, and Bishop Arias. Celebration in Newark
Last 13 April, Bishop Arias celebrated at the basilica cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ, the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. Present were the archbishop of New Jersey, John J. Myers; the archbishop emeritus Peter L. Gerety, who ordained Bishop Arias 25 years ago, and several other bishops. Several Augustinian Recollects also attended, among them Fr. Charles Huse, prior provincial of Saint Augustine Province, to which Bishop Arias belongs, some 50 priests and around 3000 faithful.
Hispanic Apostolate
Bishop David Arias was born on the 22nd of July 1929 in Mataluenga (León, Spain). He was ordained priest in 1952 in Barcelona during the XXXV International Eucharistic Congress of Barcelona. In 1983 he was ordained auxiliary bishop of Newark and since then he has worked tirelessly for the Hispanic Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark.
The celebration began with a solemn Eucharist presided over by Bishop, David Arias who was also accompanied by the Bishop of Leon diocese Monseñor Julián López.He was a member on the Bishops Commissions for Communications, Hispanic Affairs, the V Centenary and Latin America Affairs in the US Bishops Conference. He belongs to the Assem-bly of Bishops of New Jersey and is a member of the Hispanic Culture Foundation of New York. Since 2004 he has been auxiliary bishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of New Jersey.
Publications
Among the varied activities of Bishop Arias during his long life we ought to emphasise some literary and anthropological publications, among which we can name «Las raíces Hispa-nas en los Estados Unidos» (Hispanic Roots in the USA), «Protagonistas Hispanos en los Esta-dos Unidos» (Important Hispanic Figures in the USA), «El Trabajo Manual en el Monacato Agustiniano» (Manual work in the Augustinian Monastery) and the last one dedicated to Villaviciosa de la Ribera, which bears the town’s name.