Pope Francis Names Catholic Charities Official As New Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

By Mark Zimmermann
Catholic Standard
March 20, 2015

http://www.cathstan.org/Content/News/News/Article/Pope-Francis-names-Catholic-Charities-official-as-new-auxiliary-bishop-of-Washington/2/2/6541


Pope Francis on March 20 named Father Mario E. Dorsonville, 54, as auxiliary bishop of Washington, to assist Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl in the pastoral care of the 620,000-member archdiocese. His ordination as a bishop will be held on April 20 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.

Bishop-elect Dorsonville serves as vice president for mission for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington and as director of the Spanish Catholic Center. Catholic Charities is the social ministry outreach arm of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Spanish Catholic Center offers medical and dental care, job training programs, English classes, a food pantry and case management services to immigrants from around the world. He also serves as the adjunct spiritual director at the St. John Paul II Seminary of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Cardinal Wuerl, who introduced the new bishop at a press conference that morning at Catholic Charities’ headquarters, said, “Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has certainly manifested his great care for the Archdiocese of Washington in naming Father Mario Dorsonville as an auxiliary bishop of this local Church. Father Dorsonville, over many years of pastoral ministry, has demonstrated his priestly dedication, concern for the marginalized and love of the Church. As auxiliary bishop, he will bring all of those gifts to better manifest the kingdom of God here in the archdiocese.”

Bishop-elect Dorsonville’s appointment by Pope Francis was publicized in Washington that morning by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The new bishop said he received the news of his appointment “with a sense of humility and profound gratitude” to Pope Francis, adding, “I am very eager and open to collaborate with His Eminence, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, in the efforts he has developed to care for the spiritual and pastoral needs of the people of the Archdiocese of Washington, especially those within the Spanish-speaking community.”

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Bishop-elect Dorsonville was ordained in 1985 as a priest of the Archdiocese of Bogota. He was incardinated as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1999.

The Archdiocese of Washington has three other auxiliary bishops, Bishop Barry C. Knestout; Bishop Martin D. Holley; and retired Bishop Francisco Gonzalez, S.F. The Archdiocese of Washington is home to more than 620,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 95 Catholic schools, located in Washington, D.C., and in the five Maryland counties of St. Mary’s, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s and Montgomery.

Since 2011, Bishop-elect Dorsonville has also served as the adjunct spiritual director for the archdiocese’s Saint John Paul II Seminary.

Reflecting on his work on the seminary in an earlier interview, Father Dorsonville said, “The seminary is like the heart of the diocese… It’s like coming back to my roots… who I am, how the Gospel has to be the most important thing in my life.”

Bishop-elect Dorsonville became a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington after earning a doctorate in ministry at The Catholic University of America. Over the years, he served as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bethesda and at St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Hyattsville.

Speaking of his service with the Spanish Catholic Center and Catholic Charities, Bishop-elect Dorsonville said in an earlier interview that working for the poor is a gift. Trying to bring hope to those who come to the doors of the Spanish Catholic Center is continuing the work of Jesus, the priest said, noting Christ’s own special love for the poor. “He said it, he taught it, and he did it,” the future bishop said.

Catholic Charities is the largest private social service provider in the Washington area, serving more than 120,000 people in need annually through more than 65 programs in 48 locations, with a staff of nearly 900 and thousands of volunteers. The Spanish Catholic Center, established in 1967, provides medical, dental, immigration, legal, education and social services to more than 40,000 clients, primarily new Latino immigrants in Mount Pleasant, Gaithersburg and Wheaton.

Bishop-elect Dorsonville in a 2011 interview said he also wanted to share his experience of serving people from different cultures, because that is the reality of the universal Church, which consists of people from many different lands who share one faith.

Reflecting on his own priesthood, he said his life was full of joy. “It’s about being yourself, being committed, being faithful and being holy, being open to God’s grace and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your life,” he said.

The future bishop said the new seminary is continuing the heritage of Saint John Paul II, who loved young people and challenged them to follow Christ in today’s world. “The seminary has to be a house of holiness, a house where you find men like John Paul,” willing to give themselves “totally to be witnesses of the Gospel,” he said.

In 2010, Bishop-elect Dorsonville celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest. At that time he said he felt close to the newcomers who walked into the doors of the Spanish Catholic Center looking for help. “I know what it feels like to be lonely and to be rescued by God’s love, when you receive the helping hand (from someone) willing to accept you as you are,” he said.

Mario Eduardo Dorsonville was born Oct. 31, 1960 in Bogota, Colombia, the only child of Leonor Rodriguez Hogar and the late Carlos Dorsonville Zarate. He attended the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogota, receiving a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1981 and a bachelor’s in sacred theology in 1985. He was ordained to the priesthood on Nov. 23, 1985 in Bogota. Following ordination, he served as parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Bogota (1986), chaplain of the National University of Colombia, Bogota (1987), pastor of San Jose de Calasanz Parish, Bogota (1987-1991), and associate chaplain (1988-1991) and professor of ethics (1990-1991) at the National University of Colombia.

He received a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogota in 1991 and a doctorate in ministry from The Catholic University of America in 1995. From 1992-1994, he served as parochial vicar of Good Shepherd and Christ the Redeemer Parishes in Arlington, Virginia, and as a lecturer at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington. He served as a professor at the Hispanic Apostolate of Arlington from 1993-1994. He returned to Colombia to serve as chaplain and professor of ethics to the National University of Colombia and professor of pastoral counseling and catechesis at the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogota from 1995-1996.

Bishop-elect Dorsonville has served as a member of the Priest Council of the Archdiocese of Washington since 2000 and a member of the College of Consultors of the archdiocese since 2011. He was a member of the board of directors for Carroll Publishing Company from 2000-2003. He completed an executive certificate in non-profit management course at Georgetown University in 2009 and served as a mentor for newly ordained priests from 2010-2011.