Juan Rafael Esposito-Garcia (born January 10, 1974) is an Argentine-born priest of the Catholic Church who serves as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington in the District of Columbia and Southern Maryland.
Biography
Early life
Esposito-Garcia was born on January 10, 1974, in San Luis, Argentina. He attended the Instituto Santo Tomas de Aquino in San Luis for his primary education from 1980 to 1991.[1] After finishing university, Esposito-Garcia entered the law school of the Universidad Catolica de Cuyo in San Luis, receiving a law degree in 2003.[1]
Having decided to become priest, Esposito-Garcia immigrated to the United States to attend Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was awarded in 2008 a Master of Divinity degree and a Master of Arts in moral theology from the seminary.[2]
Priesthood
On June 14, 2008, Esposito-Garcia was ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington by Archbishop Donald Wuerl.[3] After his 2008 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Esposito-Garcia as parochial vicar at the following parishes in Maryland:
- Shrine of St. Jude in Rockville (2008 to 2010)
- St. Mark the Evangelist in Hyattsville (2010 to 2012). In 2011, he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law from the Catholic University of America in Washington.
- Little Flower in Bethesda and Ascension in Bowie (2014). That same year, he was also named adjunct professor of canon law and adjunct spiritual director at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary.[2]
Starting in 2011, Esposito-Garcia served as a judge on the metropolitan tribunal for the archdiocese. In 2016, he was awarded a Doctor of Canon Law degree by Catholic University. By 2017, he had been named judicial vicar. In 2018, Esposito-Garcia traveled to Rome to serve as an official in the Dicastery for Bishops at the Vatican. [2]
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
Pope Francis appointed Esposito-Garcia as an auxiliary bishop of Washington on December 19, 2022.[2] On February 21, 2023, Esposito-Garcia was consecrated as a bishop at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, with Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville and Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell acting as co-consecrators.[3]
Esposito-Garcia speaks English, Spanish, and Italian.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Auxiliary Bishops". Archdiocese of Washington. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
- ^ a b c d e "Pope Francis Names New Auxiliary Bishops of Washington". US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Bishop Juan Rafael Esposito-Garcia [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
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