Philadelphia cathedral witnesses ordination of state's first Filipino bishop

NEW YORK CITY—Reverend Efren Esmilla was formally installed as the first Filipino bishop of Philadelphia.

The Episcopal ordination took place at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul, attended by bishops and Filipino priests from all over the United States.

Esmilla, the titular Bishop of Ottana, was appointed by Pope Francis as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, alongside two others, Keith Chylinski and Christopher Cooke, who were also appointed as auxiliary bishops.

Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, His Eminence Christopher Cardinal Pierre, personally read the papal bulls appointing Esmilla as bishop.

The Episcopal consecration also saw the attendance of the first Filipino appointed bishop in America, Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City, and Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of San Pablo Laguna.

Also present at the concelebrated Mass was Reverend Father Gregory Ramon Gaston, Rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino from Rome.

The installation of Bishop Esmilla was witnessed by family, friends, and the proud Filipino community.

In a statement, New York Consul General Senen Manglile said that witnessing Bishop Efren Esmilla's installation was a great honor and congratulated him on his ordination and appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. He highlighted Bishop Esmilla as a testament to the significant energy and faith contributed by the Filipino community to the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.

Auxiliary Bishop Efren Esmilla is the fourth Filipino bishop installed in America. He was born in Nagcarlan, Laguna.

In December 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Oscar Azarcon Solis from Nueva Ecija as the Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, who currently serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah.

In May 2019, Pope Francis appointed Alejandro Dumbrigüe Aclan from Pasay City as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California.

In February 2023, Pope Francis appointed Anthony Cerdan Celino from Pangasinan as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso in Texas.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said that before immigrating to the US, Esmilla completed a college degree at San Beda University in Manila in 1984.

The CBCP earlier quoted Esmilla as saying that he was "greatly humbled and honored" by his appointment as auxiliary bishop.

"My great hope is that our beloved Archdiocese of Philadelphia will continue to grow spiritually and to grow in the number of souls as we all strive to be better missionary disciples for Jesus Christ in the world around us," said Esmilla, who now serves the archdiocese's approximately 1.5 million Catholics. — VDV, GMA Integrated News