On the Saturday morning prior to the ordination dozens of bikers of various ages, and ethnic and religious backgrounds had marked the occasion by gathering together at 5:30 a.m. to participate in Bike The Faith.

Many officials, including Gov. Ralph Torres, joined hundreds of the faithful in the jam-packed cathedral for the ordination on Sunday.

The ordaining bishop was Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam.

He was joined by Bishop Emeritus Tomas Camacho of Saipan and Bishop Julito B. Cortes of Dumaguete as co-consecrators.

The co-celebrating archbishops and bishops included Peter Choy Long, Archbishop of Fiji; Jose Palma Archbishop of Cebu; Amando Samo, Bishop of the Caroline Islands; and Daniel Parcon Bishop of Bohol.

The clergy of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa were in full attendance. They were joined by priests from the Caroline Islands, the Philippines, San Francisco and San Jose, California.

The choir consisted of over 100 individuals from the different parishes of Saipan, singing in different languages.

An island fiesta reception followed the ordination.

The group bike ride on Saturday promoted Jimenez's efforts to encourage religious harmony, faith and healthy living, through group exercise.

At conclusion of the ride Jimenez gave a blessing. He thanked all bikers and helpers from the different faiths for their moral support and asked for their continued prayers as he prepared to assume the role of Bishop.

He also proposed to making Bike The Faith an annual event that would also include visits to and spiritual blessings from "our "brothers and sisters in the non-Christian denominations" on Saipan such as the local Hindu and Buddhist communities.

Source

• mvariety.com
• saipantribune.com
• mvariety.com
• Image: mvariety.com

Immigration and same-sex marriage are among these issues, Jimenez said.

He is not saying he's for same-sex union, and it's not his place to state church policy on the topic, he said.

He says he does want to promote respect for people, regardless of who they are.

At a press conference, after his appointment was announced he mentioned Pope Francis' public statement almost three years ago.

"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

The immigration issue in the Northern Marianas includes the plight of displaced foreign workers, some of whom are from the Philippines.

A U.S. immigration limit on how many foreign workers can get work permits in the Northern Marianas each year, could send hundreds of Northern Marianas workers back to their home countries if they fall out of legal immigration status.

When Jimenez's appointment was made public, he was heading to Saipan's neighbouring island, Tinian, to visit a group of Filipino workers who hadn't been paid for months.

Jimenez makes it part of his routine to be in touch with the community he serves, whether it's at a casual coffee shop for breakfast, or at a dormitory for foreign workers who need food for the soul despite their economic struggles.

Balbina Perez, of the Tinian parish, described Jimenez in the diocese's publication, North Star, as "a people person."

Also called "the smiling priest," Jimenez grew up from humble beginnings on the tiny town of Larena, on the Philippine island of Siquijor.

His parents, Rogelio and Lillia Jimenez, raised him on an island almost the size of Saipan, hundreds of miles from Manila, which is accessible only by boat.

One of his first calls to share the news of his bishop appointment was to his mum, a retired public school teacher who still lives in the town where he was raised.

Source

• guampdn.com
• Image: dioceseofchalankanoa.com

The diocese is made up of the territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Agaña.

Jimenez has been the apostolic administrator of the diocese since December 2010.

He was appointed administrator after Bishop Tomas A. Camacho retired in April 2010 at the age of 76.

The diocese was canonically erected on 8 November 1984 by Pope John Paul II. Its territories were taken from the archdiocese based in Guam.

Jimenez, originally from Dumaguete City in the Philippines, was ordained priest in Saipan on June 8, 2003, by Camacho, the first bishop for the now 32-year-old diocese.

He will be ordained bishop on 14 August. Archbishop Martin Krebs, apostolic delegate to the CNMI and apostolic nuncio to various island countries in the Pacific, will be the primary consecrator.

"Entrusted with fulfilling this appointment from Pope Francis through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I will do my best to serve the people of God." Jimenez said in a statement on Saturday.

"Please continue to pray for our Pope, our Apostolic Nuncio, our clergy, religious men and women, and people of God in the diocese."

"Please help me serve the Lord in ways everlasting and pray for me, your servant in Christ."

Jimenez turns 45 in December.

Since his ordination, he has had various roles with the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa including as diocesan chancellor, parochial vicar, rector and superintendent of Catholic schools.

The diocese, which covers 184 square miles on more than a dozen islands, some of them uninhabited, currently has 11 parishes and one mission church.

Catholics make up about 60 percent of the estimated 72,000 people of the Northern Marianas.

Source

• guampdn.com
• Image: umatuna.org

Bishop Camacho was the first Bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in the Northern Mariana Islands. He served as bishop from 1984 until his retirement in 2010.

Fr. Ryan P. Jimenez, the Apostolic Administrator said he "Was told that it's not going to happen soon. I was expecting that it happens soon because it will be two years in April this year that we don't have a bishop."

Source

• The Saipan Tribune
• Image; Chalan Kanoa Diocese