Pope appoints Cuban-American Bishop in Miami

Nov 20, 2003 / 22:00 pm

Pope John Paul II appointed the Very Reverend Felipe de Jesus Estevez, director of spiritual formation of the St. Paul Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami. 

The Bishop-elect completed his studies in philosophy and theology at the Seminary of Montreal (Canada) and was ordained priest in the U.S. on May 30 1970, for the diocese of Matanzas (Cuba).

Prevented from going back to his country by the Cuban regime, he developed his pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa (Honduras), at the Seminary  "Nuestra Señora de Suyapa," until 1975, when he was asked to return to the Archdiocese of Miami (Florida). He later graduated in Spiritual Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome.

From 1975 to 1977 he has been member of the Regional Seminary "Saint Vincent de Paul" at Boynton Beach (Florida) and vice-rector of the Archdiocese's department of vocations; from 1980 to 1986 he was Rector of the Seminary "Saint Vincent de Paul" at Boynton Beach and in 1987 he was administrator of  Saint Agatha Parish in Miami. From 1985 to 1988 he was a member of the Archdiocesan Synod. 

He has also been Director of Campus Ministry at Florida International University.  Since 2001 he has been the Director of Spiritual Formation of the Regional Seminary "Saint Vincent de Paul" at Boynton Beach. He speaks English and Spanish fluently.