Congratulations to Fr. Julio Angkel who was officially appointed by Pope Francis to serve as the new Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of the Caroline Islands effective today. The Diocese includes the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. As coadjutor, Bishop Angkel will succeed Bishop Amando Samo. Traditionally, the appointment of a coadjutor bishop signals imminent change of leadership due to retirement, death, or forced resignation.
According to the announcement from Rome, Bishop Angkel was born in Chuuk and studied at the University of Guam before starting his priestly training at the San Jose Seminary in Manila, Philippines and the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva, Fiji. He was ordained a priest on December 13, 1983, as the second priest priest in the history of the diocese. He has performed pastoral ministry in most of the parishes in the vicariate of chuuk and is well aware of parishes in the deanery of Pohnpei and Kosrae.
Notable experience:
- 1992-2004: Parish Priest of various parishes
- 2004-2005: training programme at the East Asian Pastoral Institute (Eapi) in manila
- 2005 – 2010: Director of the new Caroline Pastoral Institute (ICC) and the diocesan college for Micronesia; Pacific Regional Seminary (PRS) in the archdiocese of Suva, Fiji
- 2012-2015: Vicar general; coordinator of the committee on justice and development and various pastoral programmes of the vicariate; since 2015: Parish priest Of holy family parish in chuuk, director of the office of vocations and training; Director of St. John Vianney Formation House.
