New Bishop Press Release

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Reverend Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez

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Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito

December 19, 2025

The Holy See Announces the Appointment of the Rev. Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, LL.B., J.C.D. as Sixth Bishop of Palm Beach.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, currently pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Corona (Queens), New York, as the sixth Bishop of Palm Beach. The bishop-elect succeeds Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito, who has served the diocese since 2003.

Bishop-Elect Rodríguez will be ordained and installed at a future date to be determined during a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola. Additional details about the liturgy will be shared in the future. Following his installation, Bishop Rodríguez will begin his assignment as chief shepherd of the Diocese of Palm Beach, comprising of approximately 260,000 Catholics and 54 parishes and missions.

As required by Church law, Bishop Barbarito submitted his retirement letter to the Holy Father when he turned 75 on Jan. 4, 2025.

Bishop Barbarito will introduce Bishop-Elect Rodríguez at an 11 a.m. press conference today, Friday, December 19, in the Family Life Center of the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, 9999 N. Military Trail in Palm Beach Gardens. Media are welcome to attend. The press conference will also be live-streamed on Facebook Live, https://www.facebook.com/DiocesePB.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Bishop-Elect Rodríguez was ordained to the priesthood July 3, 2004, in Santo Domingo, and became affiliated with (incardinated into) the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, on June 29, 2012. He is a canon lawyer with extensive experience in penal canon law and pastoral leadership. Besides his parish responsibilities in Queens, he serves in senior juridical roles in the Brooklyn Diocese, including promoter of justice and delegate of the diocesan bishop for penal cases. Bishop-Elect Rodríguez is fluent in four languages (English, Spanish, Italian and French).

With the announcement of Bishop-Elect Rodríguez’s appointment, Bishop Barbarito assumes the status of Bishop Emeritus of Palm Beach. He also becomes the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Palm Beach until the day of Bishop-Elect Rodríguez’s ordination and installation.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bishop Barbarito was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn on Jan. 31, 1976. He earned a licentiate in canon law, and later served as vice chancellor, master of ceremonies and episcopal secretary before being named an auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn on June 28, 1994, and ordained a bishop on Aug. 22, 1994. In 1999, Bishop Barbarito was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, where he was installed on Jan. 7, 2000. Bishop Barbarito was named the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach on July 1, 2003, and was installed at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola on Aug. 28, 2003.

The Diocese of Palm Beach was established by Pope St. John Paul II in 1984, encompassing the counties of Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee, totaling 4,359 square miles. There is a total population of more than 2 million and a Catholic population of more than 260,000, served by nearly 300 ordained priests and deacons, with 20 Catholic elementary and high schools.

The Diocese of Palm Beach has three website landing pages dedicated to sharing this information, one of which is specifically to welcome Bishop-Elect Rodríguez, which includes his biography, photo, etc. We have a separate dedicated link to show our appreciation and honor Bishop Barbarito, which includes links to his videos, statements, columns, biography, coat of arms, etc. Lastly, we have one general landing page with the press release and downloadable content, including official photos. You can find all of this information at www.DiocesePB.org. Additional information can be found on the diocese’s social media sites.