Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami released the following statement upon the announcement of Bishop Felipe Estevez as tenth bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine:

I congratulate Bishop Estevez on his appointment as the new Bishop of St. Augustine. He brings many gifts to Northeast Florida – as a priest, he has served as a pastor, spiritual director, seminary rector, and as a very effective preacher of retreats and missions in three languages: English, Spanish and French; as an auxiliary bishop, he has ably assisted my predecessor and now me in the governance of the See of Miami, especially providing wisdom and direction in the coordination of the rich expression of ecclesial groups and apostolic movements active in the Archdiocese.

St. Augustine, the city where the Servant of God, Padre Felix Varela, died in exile from his native Cuba, is not unknown to Bishop Estevez – he has had occasion to visit there many times; and not a few of the clergy of St. Augustine also know Bishop Estevez as a former rector and spiritual director of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.

While the People of God here in South Florida rejoice over Northeast Florida’s good fortune in having Bishop Estevez as their new shepherd, we will certainly miss him. Bishop Estevez has not only been a brother priest and bishop to me, he has, for more than 35 years, been and still is my good friend. I look forward to continue working with him as one of the six suffragan bishops of the Ecclesiastic Province of Miami.

Source: Archdiocese of Miami

From Right to Left: Bishop Felipe Estevez, Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop John Noonan

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Miami Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez, 65, as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine, succeeding Bishop Victor Galeone whose resignation was submitted in September.

Bishop Estevez was born on February 5, 1946 in Betancourt, Cuba to Adriano and Estrella Estevez. Leaving Cuba at the age of 15, Estevez came to the United States and began studying for the priesthood. On May 30, 1970, Estevez was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Matanzas (Cuba) after receiving a Licentiate in Theology from Montreal University.

Throughout his priesthood, Bishop Estevez has mostly been involved with educating men for the priesthood. His first seminary assignment came shortly after being ordained, when he was sent to Honduras to teach and direct young men studying for the priesthood. In 1975 Estevez came back to the United States, serving on the faculty of Florida’s St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.  During this time, he was attending Miami’s Barry University, receiving a Master in Arts degree in 1977.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski processes into St. James Cathedral

Good Saturday evening to one and all! Earlier this morning, Archbishop Thomas Wenski presided over the re-dedication Mass of Saint James Cathedral in Downtown Orlando. It was quite the experience!

Before the Mass began, a special Cathedral Choir made up of Spanish, English, and Haitain-Creole speaking singers offered songs of praise and thanksgiving. After the prelude music came to an end, the procession into the Cathedral began, led by a processional cross donated to the Diocese of Orlando by the Archdiocese of Chicago. The crucifix was first used during the installation of Bishop Thomas Grady in St. Charles Cathedral–Orlando’s first Cathedral–which was devastated by a fire on October 1, 1976. St. James was dedicated as the second Cathedral of the Diocese of Orlando on November 20, 1977.

Towards the front of the procession was Bishop Louis Campese, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Eastern United States. As you may recall, Bishop Campese and the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Orlando welcomed the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, of Pope Benedict XVI in September. [On a side note, the Cathedral of the Incarnation is located in the College Park area of Orlando. It is about two miles away from St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church--my parish. Another Catholic Church is also in the neighborhood, St. Phillip Phan Van Minh, the Diocese of Orlando's only Vietnamese parish. Once the parish of the Cathedral of the Incarnation becomes Catholic, College Park  will be home to three Catholic churches. Just a thought.]

On Saturday, the St. John Vianney College Seminary community came together with alumni, family, and friends to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Chapel of St. Raphael for the 50th Anniversary. Archbishop John C. Favalora, Archbishop of Miami, was the main celebrant of the Mass. The mass was concelebrated by Bishops Thomas Wenski (Orlando), John Noonan (Auxiliary of Miami), Felipe Estévez (Auxiliary of Miami), Agustin Román (Ret. Auxiliary of Miami) and Bishop-elect Fernando Isern (Pueblo) along with priest alumni.

All of the seminarians had a responsibility throughout the weekend. My responsibility was with the Schola, which sang at all of the liturgical celebrations throughout the weekend. The music that was chosen for the Mass covered each generation of the seminary, which hopefully brought back some enjoyable memories for the alumni that were present. Below is a list of the songs that were sung for the celebration of the Eucharist: (I will try to get the audio from the Mass when it is completed.)

• Go Up to the Altar of God composed by James J. Chepponis
• Kyrie from the Mass for John Carroll composed by Jan Michael Joncas
• Psalm 40: Here am I composed by Marty Haugen
• Celtic Alleluia composed by Christopher Walker
• Trilingual Intercessions composed by Donald Osuna
• Desde la Aurora hasta el Ocaso composed by Juan J. Sosa/words by Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy, D.D.
• Mass Parts: Festival Eucharist composed by Richard Proulx
• Agnus Dei from the Chant Mass
• God’s Justice composed by Robert Vallee (alumni and current member of the faculty of SJVCS)
• Amen. El Cuerpo de Cristo composed by John Schiavone
• Sacrum Convivium
• Go Forth and Preach the Gospel arranged by James Chepponis

From a current seminarian’s point of view, having the opportunity to share in the celebration of the 50th Anniversary Mass during my time at the seminary is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Looking up to the altar during the consecration, I saw two bishops and a bishop-elect who had graduated from this place. Noticing this made me realize that we, the current generation of seminarians, are the future of the Church, which is terrifying and yet humbling. We all bring our own weaknesses with us as we begin the long road of discernment. However, the Lord has called each of us, despite those weaknesses, to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, the martyrs, saints, and millions of Christians who have gone before us. We have all received the message of our Lord, Jesus Christ and it is our duty to go forth and preach the gospel to all nations and all peoples.

After the jump, more photos.