St. Mary's Church

“¡Por favor, tenga la valentía de decir que sí!” a Dios que los llama al sacerdocio y la vida consagrada, alentó el Papa León XIV en un video mensaje enviado a los participantes del Festival de la Juventud Católica Australiana 2025.

Vatican City, Dec 1, 2025 / 13:44 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Monday appointed Bishop Mario Avilés as the new bishop of Corpus Christi, selecting the Mexican-born Oratorian to lead the south Texas diocese. 

Avilés, 56, who has served as auxiliary bishop of Brownsville, Texas, since February 2018, will succeed Bishop Michael Mulvey, 76. Mulvey has led the Diocese of Corpus Christi since 2010.  

“We welcome Bishop-designate Avilés with open hearts and deep prayer,” Mulvey said in a statement after the Vatican announcement on Dec. 1. 

As the ninth bishop of Corpus Christi, Avilés will take responsibility for the spiritual leadership of more than 200,000 Catholics across a 12-county region in south Texas. 

“The Diocese of Brownsville will greatly miss Bishop Mario’s wise counsel and good judgment, his joyful presence in our parish communities, and his administrative skills in the service of our diocesan offices and Catholic schools. Yet at the same time we share in the special joy of the Diocese of Corpus Christi at the news of Bishop Mario’s appointment,” Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores said in a statement. 

Avilés was born on Sept. 16, 1969, in Mexico City. In 1986, he joined the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, a pontifical society of apostolic life composed of priests and lay brothers founded in 1575, which now has more than 70 oratories worldwide.

He studied for the priesthood in Mexico City before continuing his education in Rome, earning bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and sacred theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He also holds a master’s degree in education administration and supervision and is a certified teacher in the state of Texas.

At the age of 28, Avilés was ordained a priest in the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine in San Juan, Texas. He became parochial vicar at St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Pharr and worked in the Pharr Oratory Schools as a governance board member, teacher, principal, and rector. He also served as vicar, secretary, treasurer, and novice master for the Oratorian congregation. 

From 2000 to 2012, he served on the Permanent Deputation of the Confederation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri for Latin America. At the congregation’s 2012 General Congress, he was elected procurator general of the confederation, a Rome-based role representing Oratorian communities to the Holy See. He speaks Spanish, English, and Italian.

Avilés’ episcopal motto is “Caritas Dei diffusa est in cordibus nostris,” meaning “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts,” a reference to Romans 5:5 and the introit of the Mass for the feast of St. Philip Neri. His crest includes red roses honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and his Mexican heritage as well as three gold stars drawn from the Neri family crest, symbolizing his long affiliation with the oratory.

“I ask all the faithful of the Diocese of Brownsville to pray for Bishop Mario as he prepares to take up his new mission of service in Corpus Christi,” Flores said. “May God bless Bishop Mario Avilés and may the maternal care of the blessed and ever-immaculate Virgin Mary accompany him always.”

Ayuda a la Iglesia Necesitada en España (ACN España) invita a recorrer un camino espiritual en Adviento de la mano de los santos de cada día y los cristianos perseguidos. 

El Pontífice arrancó el lunes con una oración ante la tumba del santo libanés Chárbel Makhlouf, una figura venerada tanto por cristianos como por musulmanes.

En su visita al Líbano, el Papa León XIV se reunió con más de 15.000 jóvenes en Bkerké, sede del patriarcado maronita, y los animó a construir un mundo mejor, recordándoles que la fuerza para lograrlo proviene de Cristo.

Decenas de miles de jóvenes de todos los rincones del Líbano tomaron el 1 de diciembre la plaza que está delante del Patriarcado de Antioquía de los maronitas para poder ver y escuchar de cerca al Papa León XIV. 

En el segundo día de su visita al Líbano, el Papa León XIV participó de un Encuentro Ecuménico e Interreligioso que tuvo lugar en la Plaza de los Mártires de Beirut.

Este lunes, León XIV se reunió por primera vez con representantes de distintas confesiones cristianas y de otras religiones presentes en el Líbano

La editorial Encuentro ha publicado en español una colección de homilías privadas de Benedicto XVI compiladas por el P. Federico Lombardi. 

La Provincia de los Hermanos Menores Capuchinos de España ha puesto en marcha “Adviento directo”, un informativo semanal cuyo presentador ha sido creado con IA.