From our Provincial Minister Robert Marva, OFM Cap.:
Dear Friars, Family, and Friends of the Capuchin Province of St. Augustine, it is with great joy that I ask you to join with me in thanksgiving to Almighty God and humble gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV for choosing our Br. Emilio Biosca, OFM Cap., as bishop to serve as the third bishop of the Diocese of Venice, Florida.
While this announcement has come as a surprise to many, it is for others a confirmation of the pastoral zeal, commitment to the poor, and care for the stranger and alien that have marked Bishop-elect Biosca’s ministry as pastor to the people of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, DC, as well as to the friars and people of Cuba where he also labored for a number of years.
Bishop-elect Emilio brings to the service of the Church of Venice thoughtful wisdom and a faithfilled disposition marked by prayer and fidelity to the Rule of St. Francis and the Constitutions of our family of Capuchin Franciscans.
The Mass of Ordination and Installation in the Diocese of Venice is set for Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM. It will be at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Myers, Florida, since the cathedral is currently being renovated in Venice, Florida.
More to come in the days ahead!