Diocese gets new bishop

By BENORAH HESEHING
THE Kerema diocese now has a bishop after being without one for almost four years.
He is Fr Peter Baquero, 47, from Manila, Philippines.
Secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and Solomon Islands, Fr Victor Roche said Fr Peter would be ordained as the bishop for Kerema by Pope Francis in April.
Fr Peter is the first provincial superior of the Salesian Congregation in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
He was born in Manila on Sept 15, 1970.
He made his first profession in Bacolod, Granada on April 1, 1990 and the perpetual profession on March 24, 1998.
He was ordained in 1999 in Parañaque, after completing his philosophy and theology studies in Canlubang and Parañaque.
He did his practical training in PNG (Port Moresby, Gabutu and Araimiri.
He attended the Missionary Ongoing Formation Course in Rome.
He speaks Tagalog – Filipino, English and Tok Pisin.
After returning to the PNG Delegation in 2000 he spent almost 10 years in the front-line mission in Gulf (Araimiri and Lariau, Diocese of Kerema), then in Port Moresby (Don Bosco Technical School Gabutu) and since 2014 as the superior delegate of Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands.
During the past 16 years he was assigned to the following ministries: parish priest, principal of secondary school, economer, rector, and delegation councilor for youth.
In 2016, the rector major of the Salesian Congregation, with the consent of his council appointed Fr Peter as the first provincial superior of the Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands vice-province.
After the appointment of Fr Peter as bishop of Kerema Diocese, the rector major, with the consent of his council, appointed on Jan 23 Fr Alfred Maravilla as the second superior of the Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands vice-province for a period of sixyears (2017-2023).