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February 24, 2023By Richard Szczepanowski, OSV News
WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Following ancient church tradition and greeted by the applause of family and friends, two Washington archdiocesan priests were ordained auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Washington during a Feb. 21 Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
Newly ordained Bishops Juan R. Esposito-Garcia and Evelio Menjivar-Ayala promised to "proclaim with fidelity and constancy the Gospel of Jesus Christ" and to "always be kind and sympathetic to the poor, immigrants and with all those in need."
Hundreds of people -- including families of the new bishops who traveled from other countries, Catholics from across the archdiocese, representatives of other faiths, and civic leaders -- filled the cathedral for the more than two-hour bilingual liturgy.
"A bishop seeks to reconcile sinners especially those who may often be thought of as outside of the embrace of the church," Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory said during the Mass. "Above all, a bishop draws people to Christ in the Eucharist -- there you must preach and inspire people to long for the Lord who is present to us in Word and in sacrament."
Cardinal Gregory was the principal consecrator of the new bishops and the main celebrant of the Mass. Co-consecrators were Washington Auxiliary Bishops Roy E. Campbell Jr. and Mario E. Dorsonville, who will be installed in March as the bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana.
Bishop Esposito, 49, most recently served as an official in the Dicastery for Bishops at the Vatican. Bishop Menjivar, 52, is currently pastor of St. Mary Parish in Landover Hills, Maryland.
Pope Francis appointed the priests as Washington auxiliary bishops Dec. 19.
Bishop Esposito was born Jan. 10, 1974, in San Luis, Argentina. He earned a licentiate in canon law and a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington. He was ordained to the priesthood June 14, 2008, and was named a monsignor in 2020.
"Juan, you have spent years studying the law -- both civil and canonical. Your recent service to the Holy See has provided you with a clear perspective of the importance of balancing and applying justice and mercy in the care of Christ's people," Cardinal Gregory told the new bishop during the Mass.
"Your priestly heart has been shaped and formed as you helped Pope Francis to find, to identify and to select praiseworthy candidates for the episcopacy. Now, based upon your history, you must begin to practice those very same virtues within this local church," the cardinal added.
Bishop Menjivar was born Aug. 14, 1970, in Chalatenango, El Salvador. He came to the United States with his brother as a teenager, because of violence and unrest in his home country, while his family remained in El Salvador. He is now a U.S. citizen.
He attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and earned a master's degree in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 2004.
He is believed to be the first Salvadoran to be named a U.S. bishop. The Archdiocese of Washington is home to one of the nation's largest Salvadoran communities.
"Evelio, you became a manual laborer as you adapted to your new home in the United States of America. … You know very well the countless gifts that our immigrant brothers and sisters continue to bring to our nation as hard workers in many different occupations," Cardinal Gregory told Bishop Menjivar.
"Jesus was known as a common laborer. ... He never lost that understanding of the dignity of hard work and neither must you. People will be more inclined to listen to and to believe you when they know that you understand the struggles and the trials that they themselves endure," the cardinal said.
He told Bishops Esposito and Menjivar that they must "constantly comfort and encourage all the faithful of the church to deepen their love for Christ."
"A bishop's heart must be open to everyone -- the young, the old, the sick, the immigrant, but most especially the poor," the cardinal said. "Like Christ Jesus himself, we must strive to welcome all with gentleness of spirit and love."
Among the clergy at the Mass were Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington; Boston Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley; Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez; Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States; and more than 20 other bishops and archbishops and nearly 200 priests.
The Mass was livestreamed via the Internet and more than 470 people watched from across the country and as far away as Uganda, Argentina, El Salvador and Honduras.
Expressing thanks to the new bishops' families and those following the Mass via the Internet, Cardinal Gregory said, "I offer a word of profound gratitude (to them) for helping you to discover and to love Christ Jesus. In truth, today would never have dawned if you had not first found faith within your homes and around your family tables."
Family members of the new bishops served as lectors and gift bearers at the Mass.
After Communion, the new bishops walked through the cathedral, holding their shepherd's staffs and blessing their families, friends and the members of the church of Washington who came to celebrate their new auxiliary bishops.
Speaking at the end of Mass in English, Spanish and Italian, Bishop Esposito referred to Pope Francis' remarks during his September 2015 visit to the United States.
The pope, in a meeting with U.S. bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral, said he would spiritually be at the side of the bishops as they comfort the lonely, lead the lost, console the broken-hearted, teach the faith or offer forgiveness.
"They are a beautiful, profound and detailed description of the pastoral ministry of every bishop and, indeed, of every priest. They describe a life and ministry consecrated, dedicated, entirely to serve others: to serve the people of God and, in so doing, to serve Christ and his church," Bishop Esposito said.
In his English and Spanish remarks at the end of Mass, Bishop Menjivar also recalled the pope's during a Holy Thursday 2014 liturgy. The pontiff said a priest is anointed to baptize, confirm, heal, sanctify, bless, comfort and evangelize the faithful.
"The beautiful celebration of the Holy Eucharist which we have celebrated has been the most eloquent way of giving thanks to the Lord for all the good he has done for me, for us, my family and for our local and universal church," the new bishop said. "I am very conscious of my poverty and unworthiness. At the same time, I am conscious that this call and this anointing is not about me. It is about you. It is about others."
