Colombia: Bishop Carlos Alberto Correa takes possession of the Diocese of Apartadó

The vocational crisis begins with the abandonment of prayer, said Monsignor Carlos Alberto Correa Martínez in his call to the priests of the Diocese of Apartadó (Colombia) to maintain their relationship with God through a personal encounter with Christ and the grace of sacraments.

Christ “is the origin, the center and the meaning of our priesthood,” said Bishop Correa Martínez during the inauguration Mass as the new Bishop of Apartadó, celebrated on May 11 at the Santa María la Antigua Cathedral.

“The priest must be a man of prayer. The world, with its noise, with its activism, loses its sense of what is important. His activity and his abilities are fruitless if prayer, the personal encounter with the Lord, fails. Every vocational crisis begins with the abandonment or lukewarmness of prayer,” he warned.

For this reason, the new Bishop of Apartadó encouraged the priests to renew the anointing with which they were introduced to the priesthood, in order to show the people of God that “only in Him there is room for mercy.”

“The message of Jesus is one of total liberation for people, as well as for society and the environment in which they live,” he stated.

Regarding his new mission in Apartadó, a place where thousands of migrants pass through on their way to the Darién jungle, Bishop Correa Martínez called on the local community to always be a guarantor of human dignity, not only in the issue of migration, but also in the defense of life and in the fight against poverty.

“As the Church of the Risen Christ, let us announce, promote and be guarantors of human dignity,” he expressed.

“Step away, let me see your face, your wonderful countenance of history, of light, of work and dedication, not only to continue it, but to enter into deep communion with you. Love is communion, let me hear your voice in prayer (…) Until I know you, love you and give my life above any personal interest,” she stated.

In his homily, the new bishop thanked his predecessor, Mons. Hugo Alberto Torres Marín, for the welcome he received; and Father Leonidas Moreno Gallego, who served as diocesan administrator of Apartadó since March 28, 2023.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio in Colombia, Monsignor Paolo Rudelli. Then, the Mass was celebrated by the new bishop and concelebrated by the Vatican representative, the Archbishop of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Mons. Hugo Alberto Torres Marín; and the Archbishop of Medellín, Mons. Ricardo Tobón Restrepo.

Present were 17 Colombian bishops, the Archbishop of Panama, Bishop José Domingo Ulloa, members of the diocesan community, family members, civil authorities, faithful and a delegation from the Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi, of which Bishop Correa Martínez was vicar for ten years. .