A Filipino priest is set to take on a significant role in the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), or the Franciscans, as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced on Tuesday.
Fr. Joel Sulse has been appointed as the general oeconomus, or treasurer, of the religious order, according to the CBCP. Sulse departed for Rome on Tuesday for his new assignment.
During a send-off mass on Sunday, OFM Philippines minister provincial Fr. Lino Redoblado offered prayers and blessings for Sulce.
Redoblado stated, “Upon the request of the Minister-General, with the permission of the minister provincial, yours truly, I propose that Friar Joel Sulce serve as general treasurer of the Orders of Friars Minor Curia in Rome.”
Sulse’s appointment was announced by the OFM in April, with his formal assumption of duties expected in August. He previously served as the parish priest of St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Malabon City and held the position of Secretary for Formation and Studies of OFM Philippines.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Liturgy also issued an Obligatory Prayer for Requesting Rain in response to the extreme heat experienced in the country.
