LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Four Los Angeles priests were selected by Pope Francis Tuesday to become auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Msgr. Albert Bahhuth, Father Matthew Elshoff, Father Brian Nunes and Father Slawomir Szkredka were selected as auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and their appointments were announced in Washington, D.C. at 3 a.m. by Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

"This is a day of joy for the family of God in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement. "We give thanks to God, and we thank the Holy Father for this great blessing of new bishops. Each is a man of prayer who loves Jesus and has a deep desire to share God's love and to serve God's people. We are praying for them, and we entrust them to the tender care of Holy Mary, our Blessed Mother."

Gomez officially presented the newly designed auxiliary bishops Tuesday morning at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels downtown.

"Our new bishops reflect the beautiful diversity of the Catholic community in Los Angeles," Gomez said. "As many of you know, we are a church of immigrants, with faithful men and women and families who come from every continent and many nations; and we carry out our ministries and charities here in more than forty different languages. And as I said, our new bishops reflect that diversity.

"What these four priests have in common is their love for Jesus Christ and their love for their brothers and sisters. Each of them is a man of prayer who has a heart for the poor, and a deep desire to spread God's love and to serve God's people."

The new auxiliary bishops will be ordained on Sept. 26 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, joining current Auxiliary Bishops Alex Aclan and Marc Trudeau, according to the archdiocese.