Background
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Gerald Wilkerson grew up in Long Beach, California.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Gerald Wilkerson grew up in Long Beach, California.
He attended Saint John's Seminary in Camarillo, California and was ordained a priest on January 5, 1965 by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre.
On November 5, 1997, he was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the Titular Bishop of Vincennes and auxiliary bishop of Los Los Angeles He was consecrated a bishop on January 21, 1998. Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, was his principal consecrator, while Bishop Michael P. Driscoll, Bishop of Boise and Bishop Joseph M. Sartoris, were his principal co-consecrators.
Wilkerson led the Archdiocese"s San Fernando Pastoral Region with 54 parishes, 12 high schools, two hospitals, and five missions.
On July 21, 2015, his retirement was accepted by Pope Francis.