FATHER VIRGINIO BRESSANELLI APPOINTED BISHOP

We are extremely pleased to inform the Congregation that, on February 19, 2005, the Holy See notified us of the official appointment of our former General Superior, Father Virginia Domingo Bressanelli, as bishop of the diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia, in the southern Patagonia region of Argentina.

We would like to express to our dear brother, now a bishop, our best wishes on behalf of the entire Congregation, for a fruitful service on behalf of the Church in Argentina.

On the occasion of this happy news, our General Superior, Father José Ornelas Carvalho, SCJ, has written the following letter to the Congregation.

February 19, 2005
Prot. N. 52/2005

To the Members of the Congregation

Dear Brothers,

I'm extremely pleased to inform you that the Holy See has officially announced that the Holy Father has appointed as the bishop of the diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina) our fellow SCJ Father Virginio Domingo Bressanelli, who is my predecessor as Superior general of the Congregation.

Father Bressanelli, was born at Beravebù (Santa Fé, Argentina) on May 1, 1942. He began his seminary formation at one of the minor seminaries of the Congregation in Argentina. He was then transferred in Italy, where he completed his university studies in Trent, Monza, and Rome.

During his studies in Italy, he pronounced his first religious profession in Bolognano (Trento) on September 29, 1961 and later on he was ordained a priest in Rome, on December 17, 1966.

In 1967 he obtained the License in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Then he returned to Argentina, where he studied adolescent psychology. He then began his ministry in pastoral care and seminary formation.

At the birth of the Argentina-Uruguay Province in 1983, he was appointed as the 1st Provincial Superior, a position he held for two three year periods until 1989. His service was characterized by his enthusiasm and openness to the problems of the Province and of the whole Congregation as well. During these years, when the young Province was confronted with the problem of being understaffed, he never held back from helping wherever the need was greater, such as the Philippines.

This style of his service was greatly appreciated by other religious bodies in Latin America. He was elected vice-president of Latin-America's Major Superiors (CLAR) which post he occupied from 1988 to 1991.

In the run-up for the 19th General Chapter of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1991, he was a member of the Preparatory Committee and was elected to be the 8th Superior General of the Congregation, which post he held for two terms, from 1991 till 2003.

In his capacity as General Superior, he was one of the Cnsultors to the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples. He also took part in the Bishops' Synod of 2001 which discussed the role of the bishop in the world and in the Church.

When his term of office as General Superior came to an end, he spent a sabbatical year in Spain, studying and updating his knowledge of spiritual formation to prepare himself for work in the formation program of his Province in Argentina.

Today the Holy Father entrusted him with episcopal ministry in the diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia, a diocese situated in Pantagonia in the south of Argentina, on the Atlantic coast.

According to the Annuarium Pontificium of 2004, this diocese was established on February 11, 1957. It covers 234,000 square kilometers and has a population of 413,000, 345,900 of which are Roman Catholics. There are 26 diocesan priests, 9 seminarians, and 22 male religious. There are 33 parishes along with 90 churches and mission stations.

A heavy task awaits Father Virginio. However, thanks to his human and spiritual riches and skillful leadership, he will no doubt succeed in serving the church in the spirit and truth of a son of Father Dehon. He takes this service upon himself with a great love for the Church in the spirit of SCJ availability to the will of God.

Having got to know and appreciate Father Virginio in his service as General Superior of the Congregation, we share the joy of the whole church of Comodoro Rivadavia in his appointment as their leader, and we are grateful for his service to the Congregation as our General Superior General and for the witness of his life.

On behalf of the Congregation we assure him of our brotherly support, our friendship, and prayers that he may be the shepherd the local Church of Comnodoro Rivadavia needs: a shepherd after the Heart of Jesus.

This year of the Beatification of our Founder, we give thanks to the Lord for bestowing the episcopal office on our brother, and to the Holy Father for demonstrating his confidence in Father Virginio and in the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We congratulate the relatives of Father Virginio on behalf of the whole Congregation. We join with them in praying that the Lord bestow upon him abundant blessings for his service as the bishop of the Diocese if Comodor Rivadavia.

With kindest regards, in the Heart of Jesus,

 

Father José Ornelas Carvalho SCJ
General Superior