Diocese of Chalan Kanoa gets new bishop

Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Romeo Duetao Convocar, former apostolic administrator and currently the vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in the CNMI.

This appointment, officially published Monday, was also personally announced in Chalan Kanoa by Luis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who is currently on Saipan for the celebration of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa’s 40th anniversary of canonical establishment.

Convocar was born in Iloilo, Philippines. He completed both his high school studies and his bachelor of arts major in philosophy with a minor in English at St. Joseph Seminary in Dumaguete City and his theological studies at St Joseph Regional Seminary in Jaro, Iloilo City.

He was ordained into the Sacred Order of Priesthood for the Military Ordinariate on Sept. 17, 1996. Subsequently, he was commissioned as a military chaplain in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of captain. He completed his Technical Service Officers Basic and Advance Courses at the Philippine Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. He served as a chaplain officer for about 10 years and was assigned to various military installations and commands under the headquarters units and the Navy.

Moreover, he also served for about five years as the spiritual director and procurator of the Domus Josephi Formation House, a seminary of the Military Ordinariate.

Convocar moved to Guam and was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Agana. He has served as the parish administrator of St Joseph Church in Inalajan, pastor of San Isidro in Malojloj, and rector of Agana Cathedral-Basilica. Currently, he is the administrator of Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores Parish in Tumon. Moreover, as he has studied tribunal practice at the Institute of Tribunal Practice, which is affiliated with the Catholic Institute of Sydney and governed by the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand, he furthermore serves as an advocate and auditor in the Metropolitan Tribunal.

Convocar was also a formator of seminarians of the archdiocese before the closure of the seminaries in Guam. He served as the vicar-general to former Agana Archbishop Most Rev. Michael Jude Byrnes until his resignation on March 28, 2023, due to health reasons. At the time of Byrnes’ resignation, he was named by Pope Francis as the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, the office that he served for more than a year.

Since Aug. 15, 2024, Fr. Charlie Borja has served as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa following the appointment of Archbishop Ryan Pagente Jimenez as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Agana.

The bishop-elect’s Episcopal Consecration will be announced at a later date. (PR)

Fr. Romeo Duetao Convocar