Extension magazine - Summer 2023

36 INSPIRE
Feature
Extension | Summer 2023 37
Each year Catholic Extension
supports the education
of 400 to 500 seminarians
because it is an enormous
expense for financially poor
dioceses. On occasion, as it turns
out, Extension donors are not only
helping educate future priests but
also future bishops.
This was the case for Bishop
Anthony Celino, the first auxiliary
bishop of the Diocese of El Paso,
Texas. He was ordained a bishop
on March 31 of this year at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral. He became the
10th active bishop whose seminarian
education has been funded by
Catholic Extension. He was also
the third Filipino to be elected as a
bishop in the United States.
He now joins the likes of Bishop
Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock,
Arkansas; Bishop Robert W. Marshall
Jr. of Alexandria, Louisiana;
Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales
of Caguas, Puerto Rico; and a half
dozen other active bishops who
began their priestly journey with
support from Catholic Extension.
After funding Bishop Celino’s
education at the University of Saint
Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary
just north of Chicago, Catholic
Extension also supported several
of the parishes and ministries
where he has served since being
ordained a priest in 1997.
In an interview with Catholic
Extension, Bishop Celino reflected,
“First and foremost, I would like
to express my gratitude to Extension
and of course the donors who
reach so many places in our country.
Catholic Extension has been a
wonderful partner for the Diocese
of El Paso through the years. I hope
the support and partnership that
MEET MOST REVEREND ANTHONY CELINO
How are good
bishops formed?
we have continues. We are grateful
and we continue to pray for all of
you. As an auxiliary bishop I am
very happy to continue this mission
and to support it. I truly believe
in the mission of the Church
that Extension is part of in a big
way, especially in our rural areas.
So please help us build churches in
rural areas and supporting priests.”
TAUGHT BY GREAT MENTORS
When a new bishop is ordained,
people commonly want to
know how he will lead.
Bishop Celino talked about
those who have mentored him
and helped shape his pastoral
vision.
First, the laypeople of his diocese,
he said, have taught him so
much, especially in the rural areas
of West Texas. He spent a year
at Our Lady of Peace in Alpine,
Texas, a rural parish that encompasses
many missions spread out
over vast distances. The people’s
faith, their simplicity, their love
for the Church and their hospitality
toward priests are more than
fond memories for him. They were
foundational experiences.
His ministry covered a 150-mile
radius around Alpine, requiring
him to be on the road a lot. “Back
in the good old days, priests were
on horseback. We were in pickup
trucks,” he said. Despite the distances
across West Texas, there
was a closeness among the people.
“Families drove me to different
communities. They would say, ‘You
cannot just be driving by yourself.
Something might happen along
the way.’ There’s a beauty of ministering
there. The Church there is
small but dynamic.”
TOP Bishop Anthony Celino was ordained as the Diocese of El Paso, Texas’ first auxiliary bishop.
Catholic Extension supported his seminarian education.
ABOVE The faithful celebrated the first ordination of a bishop from El Paso outside St. Patrick’s
Cathedral.
PHOTOS AL BAEZA AND FATHER MIGUEL BRISEÑO, OFM, CONV. FOR THE DIOCESE OF EL PASO
Pastoring across hundreds
of miles
Valentine
MEXICO
Marfa
Ft. Davis
TEXAS
Alpine
Lajitas
Marathon
Bishop Anthony Celino drove this nearly
300-mile route between parishes to
serve the people of West Texas.
He would see people’s unity
during funerals. “The whole town
just comes together,” he recalled.
“We assisted [families] in their
grief, but we also made sure that
the community was there for
them.”
Another great mentor in Bishop
Celino’s priestly ministry has been
his own bishop of El Paso, Mark
Seitz, who in 2013 was Pope Francis’
first U.S.-appointed bishop.
Bishop Seitz is known as a pastor
of the people and a shepherd who
continually gravitates toward the
peripheries.
“I’ve always admired the work
of our bishop, here in the diocese
and beyond. His influence and
moral voice have transcended the
Diocese of El Paso,” Bishop Celino
said. “When he became bishop, he
appointed me as his vicar general.
I worked alongside him in so
many ways and admired his work
and his commitment, not only
to serving the Diocese of El Paso
but also to helping the community,
especially those who are on