Félix Lázaro Martínez, Sch.P., (born 2 March 1936) is a Spanish-born

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

who served as the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy 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 and administration of di ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce. Lázaro was ordained to serve as the

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of Ponce on 25 April 2002, and was elevated to

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy 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 and administration of di ...

of the diocese on 11 June 2003.Catholic-Hierarchy.org
retrieved May 20, 2011 He retired on 22 December 2015 and was succeeded by Rubén González Medina, the Bishop of

Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Central Mountain Range, it is bordered by San Juan and Trujillo Alto to ...

Biography

Early life

Felix Lázaro was born in

Logroño Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

, Spain, on 2 March 1936. He entered the Piarist Fathers Order, who are dedicated to education. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest on 9 April 1961 by Bishop Ricardo Antonio Suriñach Carreras. In 1970, Lázaro was sent to teach at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...

in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He later became dean of the College of the Arts and Humanities of the university.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Ponce

Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed Lázaro as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of the Diocese of Ponce on 20 March 2002. He was consecrated on 25 April 2002 by Bishop Suriñach. Upon the retirement of Suriñach on 11 June 2003, Lázaro automatically succeeded him as bishop. On 12 December 2013, Lázaro was added to the list of illustrious Ponce citizens at a ceremony at the Park of the Illustrious Ponce Citizens in Tricentennial Park in Ponce.''Reconocen a 22 ‘Ponceños Ilustres’.''
La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013. On 22 December 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

accepted Lázaro's resignation as bishop of Ponce.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce
(Official Site in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lazaro Martinez, Felix 1936 births Living people People from Logroño Piarists Spanish emigrants to Puerto Rico Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico faculty Clergy from Ponce 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Puerto Rico Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Roman Catholic bishops of Ponce

Biography

Early life

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Ponce

See also

References

External links