Philadelphia's Incoming Archbishop Makes First Public Appearance
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The next Archbishop of Philadelphia did not waste any time getting re-acquainted with the area. With a blessing and a message that played to the hometown crowd, Bishop Nelson Perez made his first public appearance since being named the next Archbishop of Philadelphia.
"This journey that brought me back to the land of cheesesteaks," he said.
The Archbishop-elect chose the National Shrine of Saint John Neumann on 5th Street in Northern Liberties as his first stop. The church holds a personal place in his heart.
"I would come for mass. Not dressed like this, but I would sit in the back and go to confessional and pray before the saint," he said.
Perez says he is happy to be back in Philadelphia after he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia back in 1989 and serving many years at the parish level.
Born in Miami, Perez comes to Philadelphia from Cleveland but his ties here run deep. Perez attended Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. He then went on to Saint Ambrose in Northeast Philadelphia, Saint Williams in Lawncrest, and Saint Agnes in West Chester.
"Over the last day-and-a-half, I've gotten over 350 texts that I haven't even had the chance to look at yet. Most of them are friends, people that walked with me," Perez said.
One of those former colleagues is Sister Catherine Clark, IHM. They worked together at Saint Williams.
"He had just come there as a new pastor and I just arrived as the new principal to the school," she said. "He just came full of life and vitality."
That charisma wasn't lost on the students from Saint Peter the Apostle Elementary School either.
Perez will be the 14th bishop and 10th archbishop of Philadelphia, but most importantly to some, he'll be the first Hispanic man to assume the role.
"One is he's bilingual. Such a holy person, such a nice man," Nadia Russell said.
"It kind of feels like he fits in," Monica Peterson said.
Perez will be installed Feb. 18 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
