Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto (born November 28, 1958) is a Colombian-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 ...

who has been serving as the bishop of the

Diocese of Raleigh The Diocese of Raleigh is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that covers the eastern half of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan A ...

in North Carolina since 2017. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Atlanta In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

from 2009 to 2017 Zarama is the first

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

and

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, the first bishop of Raleigh to have been born outside the United States, and the first Colombian to lead a Catholic diocese in the United States.

Biography

Early life

Luis Zarama was born on November 28, 1958, in

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had appr ...

, Nariño, Colombia, the oldest of the six children of Rafael Zarama and Maria Pasqualetto de Zarama. Zarama attended the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

of Pasto and the Universidad Mariana in Pasto, where he studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

from 1982 to 1987. He began his studies in

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

at the

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Societ ...

in Bogotá in 1987, and earned his licentiate in 1991. In the mid-1980s, while attending seminary, Zarama also taught at local

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Priesthood

Emigrating to the United States in 1989, Zarama was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

into the priesthood by Archbishop

John Francis Donoghue John Francis Donoghue (August 9, 1928 – November 11, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina from 1984 to 1993 and as the fifth archbishop of the ...

for the Archdiocese of Atlanta on November 27, 1993. Zarama then served as

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 ...

at Sacred Heart Parish in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

until 1996. From 1996 to 2006, he was administrator of St. Helena Mission in

Clayton, Georgia Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 2,003 at the 2020 census. The county seat of Rabun County, it is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. History The area that eventually became Clayton was called the Dividings ...

and the first Hispanic

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. Mark Parish in

Clarkesville, Georgia Clarkesville is a city that is the county seat of Habersham County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,911, up from the 2010 census population of 1,733, up from 1,248 at the 2000 census. History Clarkesvill ...

. Zarama became an American citizen on July 4, 2000, and said: "I'm happy here, I choose to be here, and I feel like I'm part of the system as a citizen." Within the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

of the

Ecclesiastical Province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of Atlanta, he has been

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

(1993–1997) and

defender of the bond The defender of the bond ( la, defensor vinculi or ''defensor matrimonii'') is a Catholic Church official whose duty is to defend the marriage bond in the procedure prescribed for the hearing of matrimonial causes which involve the validity or ...

(1997–present). Zarama was named assistant director of the Vocations Office in 2000 and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

in 2006. He was also a member of the Committee for Continuing Education of Priests and the Priest Personnel Board. In 2007, Zarama was raised by the Vatican to the rank of

chaplain of his holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and vestments. In addition to his duties as vicar general, he became

judicial vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official ( la, links=no, officialis) is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserv ...

in 2008 and served as the archbishop's delegate to

North Georgia North Georgia is the northern hilly/mountainous region in the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of north Georgia were often scenes of important eve ...

community.

Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta

Coat of arms of Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto

On July 27, 2009, Zarama was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and titular bishop of Bararus by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on September 29, 2009, from then Archbishop

Wilton Gregory Wilton Daniel Gregory (born December 7, 1947) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who is the Archdiocese of Washington, archbishop of Washington, US. Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal on No ...

at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. Zarama remained the vicar general and

for the archdiocese. Zarama presided over the Sunday mass and gave the homily at the Steubenville Atlanta Youth Conference in 2016.

Bishop of Raleigh

On July 5, 2017,

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 Zarama as bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh. He was installed on August 29, 2017, at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh. He is the first Hispanic and Latino bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, the first bishop of Raleigh to have been born outside the United States, and the first Colombian-born bishop to lead a Catholic diocese in the United States. On September 5, 2017, Zarama issued a statement in response to U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's decision to end

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, colloquially referred to as DACA, is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the United States after being brought to the country as children to receive ...

(DACA), calling for comprehensive immigration reform. On August 13, 2018, Zarama responded to the resignation of Cardinal

Theodore McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (born July 7, 1930) is a laicized American bishop and former cardinal of the Catholic Church. Ordained a priest in 1958, he became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1977, then became Bishop of Metuch ...

, who sexually abused minors. Zarama stated that he would be praying for the church, for church leadership to be renewed and transformed, and for courage to take the necessary steps to end clerical abuse. He also shared a statement made by Archbishop Gregory. Zarama made another statement on August 17, 2018, regarding the sexual abuse scandal in Pennsylvania, calling the revelations "sad" and "shameful". He voiced his support for the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

' goals to investigate, report, and resolve recent accounts of sexual abuse and for the Church to do so with higher level involvement of the laity. He asked for Catholics to continue to pray for all victims of abuse, stating that they are the Church's priority. On March 12, 2020, Zarama officially waived the obligation to attend

Sunday mass Mass is the main Eucharistic liturgy, liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term ''Mass'' is commonly used in the Catholic Church, in the Western Rite Orthodoxy, Western Rite Orthodox, in Old Catholic Church, Old Cathol ...

throughout the diocese during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On March 14, 2020, Zarama cancelled all weekend masses in the diocese until further notice and directed all Catholic schools in the diocese to comply with Governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 20 ...

's executive order to close all schools in North Carolina for a minimum of two weeks. On 16 March, Zarama officially suspended all masses, weekday and weekend, throughout the diocese.

Coat of arms

Zarama's coat of arms contains a blue field with an extra wide

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * ''Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...

of gold (yellow). This device gives the illusion of two mountains; a gold one and a blue one. The gold mountain (the chevron) is charged with a scattering (

semé In heraldry, variations of the field are any of a number of ways that a field (or a charge) may be covered with a pattern, rather than a flat tincture or a simple division of the field. Blazoning of French adjectives Variations of the field pre ...

) of red crosses to represent Pasto in Colombia." The lower mountain (part of the blue field) has a golden lion's head to represent

Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...

, the titular patron of the parish in

, on a mountain, where Zarama served as pastor. Above the chevron are a gold rose for Thérèse of the Child Jesus, also known as "The Little Flower," and a silver (white) lily for

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

, who is Zarama's patron saint. Zarama selected as his episcopal motto the Latin phrase ''Deus Caritas Est'' (God is love), the title of an encyclical by

. The

achievement Achievement may refer to: *Achievement (heraldry) *Achievement (horse), a racehorse *Achievement (video gaming), a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters See also * Achievement test for student assessment * Achiever, a personality type ...

is completed with the external ornaments which are a gold episcopal

processional cross A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to ...

, that is placed in back of and which extends above and below the shield, and the

galero A (plural: ; from la, galērum, originally connotating a helmet made of skins; cf. '' galea'') is a broad-brimmed hat with tasselated strings which was worn by clergy in the Catholic Church. Over the centuries, the red ''galero'' was restricte ...

hat, with its six tassels, in three rows, on either side of the shield, all in green. These are the heraldic insignia of a bishop.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of RaleighRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zarama, Luis Rafael 1958 births Living people Colombian emigrants to the United States Canon law jurists Roman Catholic bishops of Atlanta People from Pasto, Colombia People from Clarkesville, Georgia Pontifical Xavierian University alumni Roman Catholic bishops in North Carolina