The Holy Father Francis appointed Fr. John Bosco Auram, Acting Rector of Sacred Heart Preparatory Seminary in the Archdiocese of Rabaul as the third bishop of the Diocese of Kimbe in Papua New Guinea on October 18, 2019.
Fr. Auram completed his licentiate in pastoral theology from the University of Santo Tomas and served as spiritual director at the UST Central Seminary from 2016 to 2019. His Licentiate Thesis which he successfully defended last academic year was titled: 鈥淭heology of Communion as Articulated in Ecclesia in Oceania as a Key Principle for Empowering Traditional Leaders for New Evangelization in the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea.鈥�
The new bishop, who is also a member of the Priestly Fraternities of Saint Dominic, is only 46 years old and has been a priest for almost 16 years. He was ordained in 2004 as the second native priest of his newly-created diocese.
