The road that has led Bishop Emilio Biosca Agüero, O.F.M. Cap., to the Diocese of Venice in Florida as its third shepherd has had many varied and interesting turns.
Bishop Emilio comes to the diocese with strong family values, instilled in him in during his childhood and influenced through family ties in Cuba; the formation into a man of God as part of the Capuchin Franciscan religious order; the rewarding and enlightening missionary work in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and then communist Cuba; and leading a diverse and thriving Shrine of the Sacred Heart parish in the nation’s capital.
What is known is that great things are expected as Bishop Emilio takes the reigns of the Diocese of Venice.
“I come to this role as the bishop of Venice to proclaim the Gospel in a way that is joyful, positive and well instructed,” Bishop Emilio said. “I approach this new ministry, trusting in God. I am seeing there is a need for evangelization so the Gospel can take root.”
The bishop said he wants to encourage all to carve out time for silence and prayer in their life, “so that we can hear something that is different from our own voice. That is creating some kind of time of silence, of prayer, of actually having the ability to pick up the bible at any time and read it. Pray the rosary. Go to mass. We have to organize our life in a way that God can speak to us, so we are able to listen, instead of having everything (devices, television, etc.) on all the time.”
Bishop Emilio was born December 15, 1964, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Emilio Rodolfo Biosca and Maria del Carmen Agüero who were recent immigrants from Cuba. The third of seven children, his two older sisters were born in Cuba. He was baptized on Dec. 25, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Pueblo, Colorado.
The family first resided in Pueblo, Colorado, then Kansas City, Missouri, where his father, already a practicing dentist in Cuba, worked and studied, graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry. The family relocated near relatives in Virginia, where his father opened a practice. Bishop Emilio attended St. Anthony and St. Leo Catholic schools, and then Bishop O’Connell High School in northern Virginia.
Bishop Emilio briefly studied at George Mason University then entered the Capuchin Franciscans in 1984 transferring to Borromeo College of Ohio in Wickliffe and earning a B.A. in philosophy in 1987. He made first profession of vows in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 16, 1988. He continued Capuchin Formation and theological studies at Oblate College in Washington D.C., making solemn vows on August 17, 1991, and earning an M.A. and M.Div. in theology. He was ordained to the diaconate on May 1, 1993, and served at St. John the Evangelist in Center City Philadelphia.
On May 21, 1994, at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, he was ordained to the priesthood by then-Bishop Seán O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., volunteered and was sent to serve in the Capuchin mission in Papua New Guinea.
From 1994 to 2004 he served predominantly the Kewa and Wiri speaking peoples in the Kagua, Ialibu and Pangia areas of the Southern Highlands and became fluent in Melanesian Tok Pisin. During this period, he worked closely with lay leaders and catechists. From 2002-2004 he served as the Director of Novices for the Capuchin Novitiate in Pangia.
In preparation for the mission in Cuba, Bishop Emilio returned to the United States in 2005 and studied at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family at Catholic University in Washington, earning his STL degree (Licentiate in Sacred Theology), Magna Cum Laude.
In 2007, Bishop Emilio entered Cuba and served there for 12 years. He spent his first year in Havana, then three years as Pastor of La Pastora Parish in Santa Clara, and the last eight years on the eastern side of the country in the Diocese of Bayamo-Manzanillo, where he was Pastor of La Purisima Concepcion de Manzanillo.
Bishop Emilio was appointed Pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. on March 1, 2019. Sacred Heart has 5,000 families and is culturally diverse, offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in five languages each weekend (English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Portuguese).
On May 13, 2026, it was publicly announced that he was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida by Pope Leo XIV. His ordination and installation are on July 11, 2026.
Getting the call
Formally introduced by Bishop Emeritus Frank J. Dewane during a May 13 press conference in Venice, Bishop Emilio said he “accepted the appointment with trust in the Divine Providence of God.” He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Leo, for “his prayerful support and for the confidence he has placed in me through this appointment. Mindful of the weight of this responsibility, I entrust myself to Our Lady of Mercy and to St. Mark, co-patrons of this youthful and thriving Diocese of Venice.”
The call he received from Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre was a “big surprise. The nuncio called and I was in confessions before the evening Mass on Saturday. I saw the nunciature had called, which wasn’t totally unexpected as some priests from Cuba were coming to visit. I figured that was the call.”
Of course, that was not why he received the call, it was about the appointment by the Holy Father to lead a 10-county diocese in Southwest Florida.
“On a personal level, I am amazed at the way Divine Providence has worked throughout my life,” Bishop Emilio said. “Sometimes we experience moments of tremendous sadness and sorrow that catch us by surprise and sometimes moments of great wonder. Ten to twelve years ago, at a Capuchin Provincial Chapter, two elderly Capuchins who had served in Papua New Guinea, told me, “One day you are going to be a Bishop, and then you will need a lot of prayers.” This was just a conversation between us. But when it happened, I remembered, and now I am in the part of needing many prayers.”
Preparing to lead the diocese
Since the announcement of his appointment was made, Bishop Emilio has been pulled in many directions. He worked diligently to ensure the transition to a new pastor at Sacred Heart in Washington went smoothly, while at the same time tried to gain information about the Diocese of Venice.
Relying on prayer, he first received the names of all priests, religious and Diocesan staff so he could pray for them. In addition to meeting in the Catholic Center in Venice with Bishop Dewane and other key personnel, Bishop Emilio set up a series of regional Deanery meetings with priests, women religious, and deacons for the week of June 15-19. These meetings served the purpose of meeting as many priests, religious and deacons, receiving feedback from them and sharing his own story.
“I really enjoyed it,” Bishop Emilio said. “I think this set up nicely another pastoral another piece that will come after the ordination.”
That piece includes meeting the Catholic Center staff and gradually making key appointments, such as vicar general, vicar for priest, vicar for religious, director of religious education and more.
Bishop Emilio also plans to spend his first months making initial visits to all 61 parishes, The visits to the 15 Catholic schools in the diocese will come in October and November.
With a sense of responsibility and some urgency, Bishop Emilio said he wants to meet the pastors, priests, deacons, religious and lay leaders at their parishes. Later, before the end of the first year, he hopes to make more formal, official visitations, at each parish.
Prior to his ordination and installation, Bishop Emilio took some time wrapping up the transition at his former parish, visiting family, and preparing to go on retreat at the Capuchin Hermitage near Salisbury, Pennsylvania, not far from Cumberland, Maryland.
“It was a difficult time turning over the beautiful parish of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart while also learning about the diocese,” Bishop Emilio said. “Now going to our Capuchin Hermitage will allow time for prayer, silence and concentration on Venice.”
Bishop Emilio asks that all pray for him as he is ordained as a bishop and installed as the third shepherd of the Diocese of Venice in Florida.
Welcome to Florida, Bishop Emilio!
Learn more on the Diocese of Venice website.
