By Marisol Bo-oc | 07:06 PM April 21, 2024
Pope Francis has appointed Father Reynaldo Bersabal who traces his roots to Bohol province as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Sacramento, California on Saturday.
In the announcement of the Holy See, Father Reynaldo Bersabal, the parish priest of Saint Francis of Assisi in Sacramento, will accompany Bishop Jaime Soto and Bishop Emeritus William Weigand in overseeing the diocese.
“The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Reynaldo Bersabal, of the clergy of the diocese of Sacramento, United States of America, until now parish priest of Saint Francis of Assisi in Sacramento, as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese, assigning him the titular see of Balecio,” the Holy See announced.
Bersabal is the fifth bishop appointed in the United States.
Bersabal, 59, was born in Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental.
In a Facebook post, Bishop Abet Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran said Bersabal’s father is originally from Barangay Canhaway, Guindulman town, Bohol.
“Kaliwat gyud ning Dagohoy,” said Bishop Uy.
Bersabal was ordained to the priesthood in April 1991 in the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, with which he served as a parochial vicar in the Our Lady of Snows in 1991, parish administrator in the Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1992, parish priest in Saint Francis Xavier in 1995, and diocese chancellor in 1998.
Bersabal was then incardinated to the Diocese of Sacramento in 2004, where he served as parochial vicar in the Saint James in Davis and Saint Anthony in Sacramento; and parish priest in Saint Paul in Sacramento, Saint John the Baptist in Folsom, Saint James in Davis, and Saint Francis of Assisi in Sacramento.
Since 2012 to the present, Bersabal has been the liaison for the Filipino presbyterate.
The Diocese of Sacramento, one of California’s 12 dioceses, covers the northern and eastern regions, with a population of 3.7 million, including more than 1 million Catholics.
The diocese also encompasses 102 parishes, 40 missions, 36 elementary schools and six high schools.
