Cirilo B. Flores
A humble California bishop, a former lawyer who led the San Diego diocese with a pastoral heart during a brief, challenging tenure.
1948–2014 (age 66)·American lawyer and bishop·Birthday: June 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Cirilo Flores took a winding road to the bishopric. First, he was a successful lawyer in Orange County, practicing civil law for over a decade before hearing a different call. He entered the seminary in his thirties, bringing a layman's perspective and a legal mind to his theological studies. Ordained in 1991, he was known as a down-to-earth pastor with a particular concern for the growing Spanish-speaking community. His appointment as auxiliary bishop in Orange and then as coadjutor (bishop-in-waiting) in San Diego placed him in line to lead one of the nation's largest dioceses. His time as Bishop of San Diego, however, was tragically short—just ten months before his death from cancer. In that brief period, he faced immediate crises, including a major wildfire that displaced parishioners, and began to set a tone of approachable, compassionate leadership that left a deep impression.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cirilo was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cirilo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Cirilo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2014Died at 66
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Served as the Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, a diocese serving over a million Catholics.
- Was ordained a priest after a prior career as a practicing civil attorney in California.
- Appointed as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Orange in 2009, focusing on Hispanic ministry.
Did You Know?
He was the first Hispanic bishop to lead the Diocese of San Diego.
He earned his law degree from Stanford Law School.
His episcopal motto was "Peace to you," reflecting his pastoral focus.
“The law taught me precision; the Gospel taught me mercy.”
