Pope Leo XIV Appoints New Auxiliary Bishop of San José

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Reverend Andres (“Andy”) C. Ligot, as Auxiliary Bishop of San José. Father Ligot is a priest of the Diocese of San José and currently serves as vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of San José, and as pastor of St. Elizabeth of Portugal parish in Milpitas, California. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on August 29, 2025, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i., of the Apostolic Nunciature, in the temporary absence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Ligot was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father Ligot was born November 30, 1965, in Laoag City, Philippines. Bishop-elect Ligot studied at San Pablo College Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines, graduating in 1986 with a degree in philosophy. Father Ligot attended seminary at Colegio Eclesiástico Internacional Bidasoa in Pamplona, Spain. He received a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines in 1988. Bishop-elect Ligot also studied at the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain receiving a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology (1992), a master’s degree in theology (1992), a licentiate canon law (1997), and a doctorate in canon law (1999). Father Ligot was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1992, for the Diocese of Laoag, Philippines. He was incardinated into the Diocese of San José on March 30, 2004.

Bishop-elect Ligot’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at St. Andrew parish in Bacarra Ilocos Norte, Philippines (1992); and from 1992 to 1995, he served as national coordinator for Evangelization 2000; director of the national office for Catholic School of Evangelization for Asia in Manila, Philippines; parochial vicar at St. William Cathedral in Laoag City, Philippines; and director for the Diocese of Laoag’s Commission on Christian Education. From 1995 to 1999, Father Ligot served as director of the Casa Sacerdotal Padre Baraee and chaplain of the University Medical Center at Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. 

In the 1999 Bishop-elect Ligot was given permission by his bishop in Laoag to minister in California, and he served as a chaplain at the Veterans Medical Center in San Francisco, California, and as a visiting priest at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. He served in the tribunal for the Diocese of San José as defender of the bond (1999-2000), and judge (2000-2003). He was parochial vicar at St. John Vianney parish in San Jose (2003-2005); pastor at St. Lawrence the Martyr parish in Santa Clara (2005-2009); and judicial vicar for the diocese (2008-2021). Bishop-elect Ligot has been pastor of St. Elizabeth of Portugal parish in Milpitas since 2021, and vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of San José since 2023. 

Bishop-elect Ligot speaks Tagalog, Ilocano, Spanish, and English. 

The Diocese of San José in California is comprised of 1,300 square miles in the State of California and has a total population of 1,903,198 of which 513,000 are Catholic.

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