Pope Names Bishops For Duluth, Minnesota; Pueblo, Colorado; Auxiliary Bishop For Providence, Rhode Island; Accepts Resignation Of Bishop Tafoya Of Pueblo, Colorado
WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has named Father Paul Sirba, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as bishop of Duluth, Minnesota; Father Fernando Isern of the Archdiocese of Miami, 51, as Bishop of Pueblo, Colorado; and Msgr. Robert C. Evans, 62, of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, as Auxiliary Bishop of Providence. The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Arthur Tafoya, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Pueblo Diocese.
Publication of the appointments and acceptance of the resignation was made in Washington, October 15, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop-elect Sirba has been Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese. He was born in Saint Paul in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1986. After ordination he was Parochial Vicar, St. Olaf Catholic Parish, Minneapolis, 1986-1990; Parochial Vicar, St. John the Baptist Parish, Savage, Minnesota, 1990-1991; Pastor, Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Parish, St. Paul, Minneapolis, 2000-2006; and Spiritual Director, The St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, 2006-present.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, from the College of St. Thomas, Saint Paul; a Master of Divinity degree from The St. Paul Seminary; an Advanced Apostolic Diploma and a Master of Arts degree from Notre Dame Institute of Catechetics, Alexandria, Virginia.
The Duluth Diocese includes 22,354 square miles. The total population of the diocese is estimated at 439,172 people, with 66,007, or 15 percent, of them Catholic.
Fernando Isern was born September 22, 1958, in Havana, Cuba. He was ordained a priest for the Miami Archdiocese in 1993. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida International University, Miami. He attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.
After ordination, Bishop-elect Isern was Associate Pastor, St. Mark Parish, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 1993-1996; Parochial Vicar, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Pompano Beach, Florida, 1996-1999; Parochial Vicar, St. Agnes Parish, Key Biscayne, Florida, 1999-2002; Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Miami, 2002, Administrator, Our Lady of Lourdes, 2002-2003; and Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes, 2003-present.
The Pueblo Diocese includes 48,155 square miles. The total population of the diocese is estimated at 621,000 people, with 96,904, or 16 percent, of them Catholic.
Robert C. Evans was born September 2, 1947, in Moultrie, Georgia, and attended public elementary schools in Providence. He was ordained a priest for the Providence Diocese in 1973 in Rome.
Bishop-elect Evans, who has been appointed Titular Bishop of Aquae regiae, will serve as Auxiliary Bishop of Providence. He attended Seminary High School and Seminary College of Our Lady of Providence, Warwick, Rhode Island. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome; Master of Theology degree from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Gregorian University.
After ordination he held several assistant pastor positions in the Providence Diocese and was secretary to the bishop and Vice Chancellor, 1983-1987; Vice Chancellor and Tribunal Judge, 1989-1991; Chancellor and Director of the Office for Priests’ Personnel, 1991-2001; Director, Institute for Continuing Theological Education, North American College, Rome, 2001-2005; Secretary, Apostolic Nunciature, Washington, 2005-2007; and Pastor, St. Philip Church, Greenville, Rhode Island, 2007-2009.
The Providence Diocese includes 1,085 square miles. The total population of the diocese is estimated at 1,057,832 people, with 624,120, or 59 percent, of them Catholic.
Bishop Tafoya was named Bishop of Pueblo in 1980. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1962. As a bishop, he served on several bishops’ committees including Priestly Life and Ministry; Administrative Committee, Priestly Formation; National Advisory Council, and Campaign for Human Development.