March 7, 2024 will be a glorious day in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia because it is the day of the episcopal ordination of three priests, who will become auxiliary bishops. This holy ordination will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Center City, Philadelphia.
The new auxiliary bishops-elect are Father Keith J. Chylinski, Father Christopher R. Cooke and Father Efren V. Esmilla. The Vatican announced this important information on December 8, 2023 on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. On that day Archbishop Nelson Pérez was “overjoyed to share this news” with all and continued saying that “the Church in her generosity, guided by the Spirit chose these three priests.”
The Archbishop added that these are “men of great faith, of great humility, of deep pastoral and administrative experience and they have zealous hearts.”
Bishops are the successors of the Apostles. As the number of Apostles lessened due to martyrdom, their closest collaborators were chosen and appointed to their role in the community. In the time of the Church Fathers, it was common for the clergy of a diocese to elect their Bishop.
Of course, this still occurs today in one instance when the College of Cardinals, the senior clergy of Rome, elects a new Pope of Rome. During the Middle Ages the state demanded the right to select bishops as the episcopal office became more political than pastoral in nature. Some countries today still maintain privileges of consultation on bishops nominated in their territories.
However, the decision to name Bishops is made by the Pope himself. The current process for selecting bishops typically begins locally. The Archbishop in this case typically inaugurates the process by submitting the request for auxiliary bishops to the Nuncio. Usually a report is compiled with statistics of the Archdiocese giving a rationale for the need. Auxiliary bishops are usually given to dioceses with large populations or other needs.
The Archbishop gives the names of possible candidates based on conferring with other priests and bishops of the Archdiocese. The Apostolic Nuncio is the representative of the Pope in a particular country. Then, the Nuncio deliberates on the candidates by consulting with various priests and officials of the diocese. After the nuncio has reviewed all of this information, he composes a report of three candidates, called a “terna” in which he notes his preferences. All of this material is studied by the Nuncio and his staff and then forwarded to the Vatican.
In Rome the candidates are discussed and a vote is taken. The Office at the Vatican can either support the Nuncio’s recommendation or not. Then, the information is presented to the Pope. At this final stage, the Pope can agree with the proposal, he may choose another candidate on the list, he may ask for a new “terna” to be submitted or more unlikely he could choose his own candidates. After the Pope’s decision, the Nuncio contacts the priest in question if he would accept the appointment. If the answer is affirmative, the Nuncio arranges with the Holy See to set a date to make an announcement of the appointment. Then, this list is submitted to the country’s Apostolic Nuncio. Our Apostolic Nuncio is Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
Bishop-elect Chylinski has a bachelor’s degree in music from Temple University. He has a master’s degree from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and also one from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia. He has served as Rector of St. Charles Seminary since 2022. Upon appointment, he stated that he would “pray for wisdom and strength to do my small part as an instrument of Jesus Christ’s truth.”
Bishop-elect Cooke has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and he has a master’s degree from St. Charles Seminary. Since 2021 he has served as Dean of the Theology Division of St. Charles Seminary. Bishop-elect Cooke stated with great joy that we can “all grow together on our journeys as missionary disciples for Christ.”
Bishop-Elect Efren Esmilla has a bachelor’s degree from San Beda College in the Philippines and a master’s in divinity from St. Charles Seminary. He is currently a pastor of St. James Parish in Elkins Park and Saint Martin of Tours in Philadelphia. He responded that “Jesus, I trust in you and I have come to serve.”
Congratulations and God Bless to all of our new Bishops.
The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.
