New film to tell story of SoCal’s ‘bishop of the barrio’ 

A new documentary on Venerable Bishop Alphonse Gallegos, a California pastor and auxiliary bishop of Sacramento, will air on EWTN Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m. LA time, just in time for what would have been the bishop’s 90th birthday. 

The documentary is part of EWTN’s “They Might Be Saints” series, about future saints from the U.S. and the search for canonization miracles. Filmed in 2019, it includes footage of San Miguel Church in Watts, where Bishop Gallegos grew up and later served as pastor, and Cristo Rey Church in Atwater Village, where he also served. 

At St. Augustine Priory in Oxnard, the documentary details artwork and relics of Gallegos. In Sacramento, the documentary features the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where Gallegos’ tomb is located, his former home on T Street, and Bishop Gallegos Square. 

Archbishop José H. Gomez is among those interviewed in the film, discussing Gallegos’ time in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento also provided information on Gallegos’ time there, including his work as the first director of Hispanic Affairs of the California Catholic Conference (CCC), and the ten years he spent as auxiliary bishop of the diocese before his death.

Others interviewed include his niece, Paula Loya, and members of the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) who have worked on his cause for canonization. 

Bishop Gallegos was born in New Mexico, and came to California with his family as a young man. He was ordained in 1958, and spent several years as a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles until he moved to Sacramento to take his position with the CCC. 

Bishop Gallegos died in a traffic accident in Sacramento in 1991. In 2005, the cause for his canonization was opened, and in 2016, Pope Francis named him venerable. 

Episodes of “They Might Be Saints,” including the one on Bishop Gallegos, can also be watched at ondemand.ewtn.com.