On the morning when Pope Francis announced that he had named Father Mario Dorsonville as an auxiliary bishop for Washington, the new bishop’s first public appearances came at a special Mass and then a press conference at the headquarters of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, where the priest known as a man of prayer and for his service to the poor has worked in recent years as the agency’s vice president for mission, while also heading the archdiocese’s Spanish Catholic Center.

“Today is a day of joy. Our journey of Lent culminates in the joy of the resurrection,” said Cardinal Wuerl, the main celebrant of the Mass, who noted that the new bishop’s ordination on April 20 would come during the Easter season.

Concelebrants at the Mass included Bishop-elect Dorsonville; Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities; and Washington Auxiliary Bishops Barry Knestout and Martin Holley and retired Bishop Francisco Gonzalez, S.F. 

Cardinal Wuerl noted that it was fitting that the Mass and then press conference was being held at Catholic Charities, where the priest known for his commitment to the poor and immigrants has served in recent years. The congregation included Catholic Charities’ staff members and volunteers, with women religious who work with Catholic Charities recognized for their service in the Catholic Church’s Year of Consecrated Life.

“You (in Catholic Charities) are the good works arm of the archdiocese. In so many ways, people are touched by the hand of the Lord through you,” the cardinal said.

In remarks after Communion, Bishop-elect Dorsonville thanked Cardinal Wuerl for his example of proclaiming God’s word and loving and serving the poor. The future bishop said that in his work at the Spanish Catholic Center and then with Catholic Charities, “I realized the Catholic Church is universal. We need to continue to embrace everyone without distinction, (whatever) their race, language or religion.”

The bishop-elect added that what the Archdiocese of Washington does in the city of Washington and in its five surrounding counties “is because of our faith. We have the right to do it. It’s our mission.”

At the press conference that followed, Cardinal Wuerl noted the view of the snow falling through the windows behind him, and thanked reporters for “coming out on the first day of spring!” The cardinal praised Pope Francis’s appointment of Bishop-elect Dorsonville to serve as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, and he offered thanks to God for “the blessing he has bestowed on our Church.”

Cardinal Wuerl noted how Bishop-elect Dorsonville is known for reaching out “to the marginalized, especially the newest members of our family, the immigrants.”

Bishop-elect Dorsonville said he looked forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Cardinal Wuerl in the work of spreading the Good News of the Gospel and through the good works of the Church, serving those in need. He said in a world that is too often indifferent to the poor, the Archdiocese of Washington offers them help and hope. “We need to open our arms to them, embrace them and see Jesus’s face in them,” he said, noting that priestly life and service has to be devoted to loving and serving the poor.

Offering a witness of hope to the poor is the best way to help people awaken from indifference to their plight, the bishop-elect said, adding that it is all about transformation, from indifference to reality, from reality to service, and from service to love.

Through his service at the Spanish Catholic Center and Catholic Charities, Bishop-elect Dorsonville said he has been privileged to witness “faith in action.”

The future bishop added, “We cannot close our doors” to the poor and to immigrants. Instead, those in the Church are called “to listen, to pray, and to walk with the immigrant family.” That encounter, he said, helps people “recognize the face of Jesus in what we say and do.”

Bishop-elect Dorsonville said it has been a beautiful experience for him to walk with people and share their joys and sorrows, and to see “what Gospel teaching is all about.” The life, death and resurrection of Jesus demonstrates that “love and the cross are together,” he said.

The news that he had been named a bishop surprised him and made him nervous, he said, but he added that “God never gives you something he won’t help you do.” He stressed the importance of trusting in God’s providence.

One of his greatest joys, Bishop-elect Dorsonville said, has been serving as adjunct spiritual director of the St. John Paul II Seminary, and working with seminarians who “want to follow Jesus Christ with their whole heart and life.” Serving the seminarians, he said, is like “walking with the future of the Church.”

At the press conference, Cardinal Wuerl noted that Bishop-elect Dorsonville, in addition to helping to serve all the people of the Archdiocese of Washington, would be “taking up the mantle” of retired Bishop Gonzalez in serving the archdiocese’s Spanish-speaking community. Bishop-elect Dorsonville, a native of Colombia, has served as director of the archdiocese’s Spanish Catholic Center since 2004.

In a statement, Bishop Gonzalez praised the bishop-elect’s service to the poor and to immigrants, noting, “As the Holy Father wants us to go out to the periphery, Father Mario has given all of us an example of such a ministry.” After the press conference, the retired bishop was asked if he had any advice for the future bishop, and he said, “Continue to be open, not only to people, but also to the Spirit.” He praised the new bishop as a man with an open mind and an open heart.

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Barry Knestout, who serves as the archdiocese’s moderator of the Curia, said Bishop-elect Dorsonville is a man with a “very dedicated heart,” who has been able “to pull people together and inspire them in the mission” to support and engage in the work of Catholic Charities and the Spanish Catholic Center.

That point was echoed by Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities, who said Bishop-elect Dorsonville, in his work as the agency’s vice president of mission, has strengthened its Catholic identity and helped deepen the faith of its workers and volunteers.

“This is a real pastor, a real shepherd,” said Msgr. Enzler. “He brings a priestly heart, a prayerful heart, and a real humility” to his service in the Church and the community.