Pope Francis on Tuesday, June 21, named Father Emmanuel Kanon Rozario, vicar general of the Diocese of Rajshahi in Bangladesh, as the new bishop for the Diocese of Barisal.
“Our congratulations and promise of prayers at the occasion of this appointment,” said Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi.
The bishop-elect expressed his “gratitude and love to God,” saying that he received the ministry from Him. “I ask for your prayers and blessings,” he said in a message to LiCAS News.
Father Emmanuel Kanon Rozario was born on Feb. 8, 1963, in Foilzana Village under the St. Francis Xavier parish.
He studied philosophy and theology at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Dhaka and was ordained priest on Dec. 28, 1993.
He was sent to Rome for higher studies and obtained a Licentiate and Doctorate Degree in Biblical Theology from the Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana.
He worked as assistant parish priest in the Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Bonpara; as parish priest in Maria Virgo Potens Catholic Church, Borni; and at the Holy Family Catholic Church, Kolimnagar.
He also became parish priest of the Good Shepherd Cathedral Parish in Baganpara.
Father Rozario has been teaching Sacred Scripture at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Dhaka since 2004 where he also worked as formator for 11 years — five year as Dean of Studies and as vice rector and rector.
He attended a two-year Spiritual Directors Training in Dhaka; Formation of Major Seminary Formators’ training in Leggiuno, Varese, Italy; Advanced Leadership Training in Haggai Institute, Hawai, USA; and Training of Translators, intensive Latin Language Course, Rome, Italy.
He has been working as a member of the Office of Theological Concerns of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and as executive secretary of the FABC Office of Laity and Family.
Pope Francis erected the new Catholic Diocese of Barisal on Dec. 29, 2015. It is the eight diocese in the country.
The diocese has six parishes and two quasi parishes with a total Catholic population of 18,598. It has 13 diocesan priests, five Holy Cross priests, five Holy Cross brothers, and more than 50 nuns from different religious congregations.