Pope Francis Names Fr. Mario Alberto Avilés as Auxiliary Bishop of Brownsville

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has namedFr. Mario Alberto Avilés, C.O., up until now the Procurator General of theCongregation of the Oratory, as Auxiliary Bishop of Brownsville, Texas.

Theannouncement was publicized in Washington on December 4 by ArchbishopChristophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.  

FatherAviles was born in Mexico on September 16, 1969. He joined theCongregation of the Oratory in Mexico City in 1986 and in 1988 he moved tothe Pharr Oratory in Texas. He attended the Pontifical Athenaeum ReginaApostolorum in Rome where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Philosophy in1998. 

He wasordained a priest on July 21, 1998. He then earned a master of divinitydegree from Holy Apostles in Cromwell, CT in 2000. Additional educationincludes a master's degree in Educational Leadership from the University ofPhoenix. 

Assignmentsafter ordination include: parochial vicar, Jude Thaddeus parish in Pharr,Texas, 1998-2002; pastor, Sacred Heart parish in Hidalgo, Texas,2002-present. 

Otherresponsibilities include: deputy, Confederation of the Oratory, permanentdeputation, 2000-2012; director of the Oratory Academy and Oratory Athenaeum,2005-2012; member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, 2011-present; procurator generalof the Confederation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, 2012-present. 

TheDiocese of Brownsville comprises 4, 296 square miles. It has a total populationof 1,350,158 people of which 1,147,634 or 85 percent, are Catholic. The currentbishop of Brownsville is Bishop Daniel E. Flores.

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Keywords: Pope Francis, Father Mario Alberto Aviles, Archbishop ChristophePierre, apostolic nuncio, Diocese of Brownsville, Congregation of the Oratory,Mexico City, bishop appointment.

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MediaContact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200