On Wednesday, Feb. 8, the El Paso Catholic Diocese's judicial vicar, Anthony C. Celino, was appointed by Pope Francis as auxiliary bishop. He was also the first auxiliary bishop of the Diocese and the current pastor of St. Raphael Parish in East El Paso.
First Auxiliary Bishop of El Paso Catholic Diocese
An article from El Paso Times stated that aside from being the newly appointed auxiliary bishop, Anthony C. Celino was the third Filipino descent elected as bishop in the United States. On Mar. 31 Celino will be ordained at St. Patrick Cathedral. At a news conference of the Catholic Diocese, his senior, Bishop Mark Seitz, said that he does not doubt that Bishop Celino will be an extremely helpful and essential co-worker in the ministry for the advancement of the El Paso Church.
As mentioned, Celino has previously held the position of Seitz's vicar general and has made significant contributions to the ongoing life of the local church. He brings a one-of-a-kind perspective as an immigrant from the Philippines who has been ministering to the border community as a priest for the past 25 years. Seitz added that the newly appointed auxiliary bishop has an unwavering commitment to pastoral ministry and faithfulness to the Gospel.
On the other hand, since Celino will concentrate on the more local aspects of the diocese, Seitz can now devote more of his attention to his national responsibilities, such as chairing the Committee on Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Accordingly, Seitz's top priorities for the committee are to do grassroots work to assist neighboring countries whose citizens are fleeing. Also, he was resposible in helping the dissemination of a more accurate picture of the immigration issue and the reasons why individuals are entering the United States. Moreover, until later in the spring of 2023, Bishop-elect Celino will continue to serve as pastor of St. Raphael Parish on El Paso's east side and judicial vicar of the diocese.
Also Read: New Auxiliary Bishop Appointed in Diocese of El Paso Emigrated From the Philippines
About Anthony C. Celino
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on Apr. 29, 1972, Father Celino was born in the Philippines. He received his primary education at the Mary Help of Christians High School Seminary in Binmaley, Philippines, and his secondary education at the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary in Dagupan City, Philippines. In 1997, Celino graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Sacred Theology and a Master of Divinity from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. He continued his education and studied canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, District of Columbia, from 2001 to 2003. And later received a Licentiate in Canon Law.
On Jun. 9, 1997, Celino received his ordination into the priesthood. He was sent to St. Patrick Cathedral in El Paso to serve as the parochial vicar. The following year, Celino was given the following parish assignments: administrator, then pastor, of Santa Lucia Parish in El Paso in 2004; temporary administrator of St. Stephen Deacon and Martyr Parish in El Paso in 2017. He was also the named pastor of St. Raphael Parish in El Paso in 2017, where he currently serves, in addition to being a judicial vicar for the diocesan tribunal in 2017.
Furthermore, bishop-elect Celino was previously a member of the boards of directors for the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services in 2012, the Tepeyac Institute from 2014 to 2021, and The Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso from 2014 to 2020. He also speaks three different languages: Spanish, English, and Filipino.
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