Consecrated as bishop in an ordination on November 6, 1978, the Most Reverend Phillip Straling served as the first bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino.
As Bishop, he is noted for his collaborative leadership style, establishment of lay formation programs and outreach to the Hispanic community. His work included gathering leaders from various local religious congregations to explore how religious leaders could come to better know one another, to understand and respect various religious tenets, and to work together to meet the growing needs of the community.
Bishop Straling established the diocese’s diaconate program and started the Straling Leadership Institute for laypersons in 1980, a precursor of the Ministry Formation Institute.
A longtime friend and interfaith partner of the diocese, Rabbi Cohn served as rabbi of Congregation Emanu El in San Bernardino from 1963 to 2001. He is now Rabbi Emeritus of the congregation.
He has been active in many community organizations in the San Bernardino area, including the Diocesan Health Care Committee and was a founder of the community organizing group Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC). For the past 20 years he has been a member of the Priest-Rabbi Dialogue, a project jointly sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.
Rabbi Cohn has received many honors and recognitions throughout the years, including the diocesan Our Lady of Guadalupe Award for his exemplary generosity, leadership and service for the common good of the local communities.
The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word are being recognized for their years of dedication to healthcare in San Bernardino through the founding of St. Bernardine Medical Center.
Convinced that the San Bernardino area was in need of a quality healthcare institution, in 1929 the Sisters of Charity agreed to advance $550,000 needed for construction and to staff the new hospital.
Since opening its doors in 1931, St. Bernardine has grown from a 125-bed facility to a 463-bed medical center with advanced technology and health services.