SAN ANTONIO • Archbishop José H. Gomez has named Ruben Hinojosa the new chief financial officer of the archdiocese.
Hinojosa joined the archdiocese in October 2006 as vice-chancellor of the Department of Administration, supervising the business and administrative work of the archdiocese. As CFO, Hinojosa reports directly to Archbishop Gomez and will assist him in overseeing the full range of the financial and administrative affairs of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
Making the announcement, Archbishop Gomez talked about Hinojosa’s work since joining the archdiocese 20 months ago, “Ruben has demonstrated a keen sense of organization, substantial knowledge of the disciplines of the financial and business world, while reflecting a sincere respect and love for the church and its mission. He has worked tirelessly in helping to reorganize our administrative and financial structures, while always seeking ways that we can be better stewards of the resources that come from the generosity of the faithful in the Archdiocese of San Antonio.”
Hinojosa brings more than 25 years business experience to the office of CFO. He served as Texas chain manager for Glazier’s Wholesale of Dallas, vice president and general manager of Montana Beverage Company of El Paso and general sales manager of San Antonio Coors LTD. He built a distinguished business career using his solid leadership skills and the ability to provide attainable strategic plans, while establishing strong collaborative relationships.
Contrasting his role with the archdiocese with his past business experience, Hinojosa said, “In the commercial world you have two goals, make money and grow the business. Working for the archdiocese is not about making money; instead, it is about growing relationships through service. It’s our duty to ease the pressure of expenses and help free up resources in order to provide quality ministry for the parishes and agencies of the archdiocese.”
In March of 2007, when David Castilleja accepted his current position as chief financial officer of Catholic Charities, Delia Thomas was appointed interim CFO. Archbishop Gomez expressed his gratitude for her solid efforts. “We have been blessed by her hard work and considerable talent,” he said. She will continue as controller of the archdiocese.
Hinojosa said he has had great satisfaction working for Archbishop Gomez and the people of the archdiocese. He said, “This is the first job that I have had that allows me to have success through helping others. In the past, my success did not have a defined purpose beyond lowering costs and increasing profits. However, here, what I do is ultimately for the betterment of many, many people. For me that is a tremendous accomplishment. It is an honor to serve the pastors, school principals, department heads and the people of the archdiocese. I believe that all of us at the Pastoral Center have a duty to continue to ease the pressure of their day-to-day ministries by making our service of the highest quality and the greatest efficiency.”
Working for the archdiocese has been a life changing experience for Hinojosa. He explained that by saying, “Quality of life isn’t measured by the number of hours I work. I enjoy what I do. Understanding the purpose of what I do has calmed me and helped me to be a greater value to my wife and family.”
A product of Catholic schools, Hinojosa graduated from Antonian College Preparatory High School and attended St. Mary’s University and Texas A&M University. He and his wife Teresa have been married for 26 years. They have three sons, Anastacio, age 17, Juan Carlos, age 14 and Nicolas, age 12.