For 7 years after his Episcopal ordination, Bishop Gallegos was a parish priest of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sacramento and resided in that parish during his years as auxiliary bishop of the diocese. Msgr. Alphonse Gallegos was known for his extraordinary dedication to the needs of the Hispanics and the poor. The Augustinian Recollect Bishop exercised his pastoral ministry especially among the migrants, the elderly and the youth. He devoted much time for the formation of the young, especially the “low riders”.