Pope Francis on Saturday appointed another Filipino priest in the US to the episcopate.
Auxiliary bishop-elect Reynaldo Bersabal of Sacramento will be the fifth Filipino to be named bishop in the US.
His appointment came around four months after Auxiliary Bishop Efren Esmilla was appointed to his post in December 2023.
Bersabal, 59, is currently serving as pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in California’s capital city since 2022.
The bishop-elect was born in Magsaysay, a town in the southern Philippine province of Misamis Oriental on Oct. 15, 1964.
Ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in 1991, among the posts he served there include as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Snows parish; parish administrator at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish; and parish priest at St. Francis Xavier parish.
He also served as assessor of marriage cases for the metropolitan tribunal of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro City; chancellor; and archdiocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Philippines.
In April 2004, Bersabal was incardinated into the Diocese of Sacramento and had served various posts, including as parochial vicar at St. James parish in Davis from 1999 to2001); parochial vicar at St. Anthony Parish in Sacramento from 2002 to 2003; pastor at St. Paul parish in Sacramento from 2003 to 2008; pastor at St. John the Baptist parish in Folsom from 2008 to 2016; and pastor at St. James Parish in Davis from 2016 to 2022.
He was also treasurer of the diocesan presbyteral council from 2007 to 2010 and is currently a member of the diocesan priests personnel board, the diocesan liturgical commission, and the diocese’s independent review board.
Since 2012 to the present, Bersabal has been the liaison for the Filipino presbyterate.
The Diocese of Sacramento, one of California’s 12 dioceses, covers the northern and eastern regions, with a population of 3.7 million, including more than 1 million Catholics.
The diocese also encompasses 102 parishes, 40 missions, 36 elementary schools and six high schools.
