[1][2] John Paul II appointed Montrose as bishop of the Diocese of Stockton on December 17, 1985; he was installed on February 20, 1986.
He went to Mexico, Colombia and other Latin American countries and met with various bishops to try to get them to send him fluent Spanish speaking priests.
[3] In 1998, a jury awarded $30 million to Joh and John Howard, two brothers from Lodi, California, who were sexually molested as children during the 1970's and 80's by a parish priest.
While disappointed at the size of the verdict, Montrose apologized to the Howard family "...for this horrible evil that was inflicted on them.
"[4] John Paul II accepted Montrose's resignation as bishop of Stockton on January 18, 1999.