Jorge Humberto Rodríguez-Novelo (born March 22, 1955) is a Mexican-born American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, serving as an auxiliary bishop for the

Archdiocese of Denver The Archdiocese of Denver ( la, Archidiœcesis Denveriensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses northern Colorado. It is part of the XIII Conference Region and includes 113 parishes, 3 ...

since 2016.Rodriguez-Novelo has held teaching positions at Catholic universities and institutions in the United States, Italy and Spain.

Biography

Early life

Jorge Rodriguez-Novelo was born on March 22, 1955, in Mérida, Mexico. He is the son of Nery Maria Novelo and Ramon Rodriguez, and has one brother and four sisters. Rodriguez-Novelo attended a Maryknoll Sisters primary school and then a Marist Brothers high school, both in Mérida. After finishing high school, he went to the Centre of Classical Humanities in

Salamanca, Spain Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

to study Latin and Greek languages. After returning to Mexico, Rodriguez-Novelo performed missionary work in Chetumal in the Yucatan. He then entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

period for the Legion of Christ religious order. On April 2, 1982, took his solemn vows in the Legion of Christ. Rodriguez-Novelo entered the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome, where in 1984 he received a Licentiate in Philosophy. After starting his bachelor degree studies at the Angelicum University in Rome, he became an academic assistant of philosophical studies at the Centre of Higher Studies of the Legion of Christ. In 1987, Rodriguez-Novelo was awarded a Bachelor of Theology degree from the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

and a Diploma in Mariological Studies from the Pontifical University Marianum He was ordained as a deacon by Cardinal Justin Rigali in Rome that same year.

Priesthood

Rodriguez-Novelo was ordained a priest in Rome for the Legion of Christ by Cardinal Jean Hamer on December 24, 1987. After his ordination, Rodriguez-Novelo stayed in Rome to work at the Legion of Christ Centre and other academic institutions. He was also assigned as a pastoral associate at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Rome. He was appointed prefect of theological studies at the Legion Centre in 1989. In 1990, he received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University and was named a professor. Rodriguez-Novelo was awarded a doctorate in theology in 1994 from the Gregorian University. That same year, he was appointed general prefect of studies at the Legion Centre During this same period, Rodriguez-Novelo was a professor and dean of the Department of Theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolarum in Rome. He also lectured for one year in theology at

Francisco de Vitoria University Francisco de Vitoria University ( es, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria) is a private university located in Pozuelo de Alarcón, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is a Roman Catholic institution run by the Legion of Christ. It is named after ...

in Madrid, Spain. In 1999, Rodriguez-Novelo moved to Colorado to assume positions in the

. He was first assigned as associate pastor of St. Therese Parish in Aurora, Colorado. In 2000, he was also named associate director of vocations for Hispanic discernment for the archdiocese. In 2001, Rodriguez-Novelo left St. Therese to become vice president of the Our Lady of the New Advent Theological Institute and vice prefect of studies at the new St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, both in Denver. Rodriguez-Novelo returned to Rome in 2002 to serve as associate pastor of Stella Mans Parish in Ostia, Rome. During this stay, he also served as a professor and associate director of the Spirituality Year. He was

incardinated Incardination is the formal term in the Catholic Church for a clergyman being under a bishop or other ecclesiastical superior. It is also sometimes used to refer to laity who may transfer to another part of the church. Examples include transfers ...

, or transferred, in 2004 to the Archdiocese of Rome. In 2006, Rodriguez-Novelo moved back to Denver to become pastoral assistant at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Aurora and Holy Family Parish in Denver, along with vice rector of St. Vianney Seminary. He was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Denver in 2008. In 2010, Rodriguez-Novelo was named as an

ex-officio member An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''List of Latin phrases (E)#ex officio, ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office' ...

of the Presbyteral Council and became

parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

for Ascension Parish in Denver. He assumed the role of pastor in 2012 at Holy Cross Parish in Thornton, Colorado and professor in 2014 at St. John Vianney Seminary.

Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Rodríguez-Novelo as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver on August 25, 2016. On November 4, 2016, he was consecrated by Archbishop Samuel Aquila at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver Official Site

Episcopal succession

1955 births Living people Legionaries of Christ People from Mérida, Yucatán 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Bishops appointed by Pope Francis {{US-RC-bishop-stub