SAN ANTONIO — In a sign of the changing face of American Catholicism, a 41-year-old of Mexican descent who grew up in Houston has been ordained the nation's youngest Roman Catholic bishop.

More than 1,000 people inside St. Mark's the Evangelist Catholic Church applauded the promotion of the Rev. Oscar Cantu as an auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, the equivalent of an assistant.

Cantu grew up at Holy Name Church in Houston, where he returned as pastor to help run the school he once attended. He speaks four languages and taught at a Houston-area Catholic university.

Like the U.S. church as a whole, the 700,000-member San Antonio Archdiocese has been growing thanks largely to an influx of Mexican and other Hispanic immigrants. The shifting demographics make Hispanic candidates for bishop much sought-after.

Before his ordination, Cantu described himself as "a moderate conservative" — moderate on social issues, conservative on doctrinal issues.