austraLasia #1865

Solomon Island Salesian Rector appointed Bishop of Gizo

ROME: 5th June 2007 -- Readers of austraLasia may well know by now or at least may have accurately guessed that the new Bishop of Gizo in the Western Solomons, was announced by the Holy Father today.  He is none other than Fr Luciano Capelli, by no means the first Salesian to live and work in the Solomon Islands, but widely recognised for the sheer energy and accomplishment of the years he has spent there, developing many aspects of the Salesian presence (in particular the Don Bosco Technical School at Henderson outside Honiara).  Fr Capelli has also been noted for his ready and creative response to the many human and spiritual needs of the people of the Solomons, and recently his work to improve their health services.  Indeed, most recently, these pages have noted the rapid response unit, so to speak, that he put together when the very same Gizo diocese was struck by an earthquake and tsunami, drawing the admiration and heartfelt thanks of the people of that area, and the Government.  It could be said, kindly, that Gizo has a further tsunami ahead - a tsunami of activity and concern for their people's welfare!
    So, in the wake of the recent appointment of Bishop-elect Tim Costelloe to the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the EAO Region gives up another of its precious members to the wider pastoral needs of the Church.  Gizo which, incidentally, is separated by a large expanse of sea from another diocese administered by a Salesian, Alotau-Milne Bay (Bishop Panfilo), is a relatively small diocese with some 11,000 Catholics (about 10% of the population) and just 8 priests, 4 of them diocesan and the other 4 religious.  Again, interestingly, bishop-elect Capelli and bishop Panfilo followed each other as provincials in Manila, the former then going to the Solomon Islands while the latter went to Papua New Guinea.
    Bishop-elect Capelli was born in Northern Italy at Cologna di Tirano (Sondrio).  He made his first profession with the Salesians in 1965 in Italy (Lombardo Emiliana or ILE province) after which he went to the Philippines and remained there, returning to Italy for his priestly studies. He was ordained at Cologna di Tirano in 1975.  In his student days he was well-known for his prowess on the football field. As we write, the date of his ordination as bishop is unknown - it will undoubtedly fall within the next three months and not so far from his 35th anniversary of priesthood.
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