Bishop Alfonso María Bauer Ormazábal

Bishop Alfonso María Bauer Ormazábal, S.D.B., was born in Montevideo on 23 July 1968. He attended a course for formators at the Salesian Pontifical University of Rome and the María, Madre de los Consagrados School for Formators in Córdoba, Argentina. He was awarded a licentiate in spiritual theology, specializing in the formation of formators and in vocational animation, at the Salesian Pontifical University of Rome. He was ordained a priest on 16 November 1996. He has held the following offices: pastoral officer and director of the Paiva Institute from 1997 to 2002 and of the House of Formation from 2003 to 2008 in the Diocese of Florida; community director from 2011 to 2017, director of the Institute from 2011 to 2013, in charge of aspirants and pre-novices from 2013 to 2017, and parish priest in 2017 at the Villa Colón community of Colegio Pío; delegate for Youth and Vocational Ministry from 2004 to 2006; delegate for Vocational Ministry from 2006 to 2008; delegate for Formation in 2008; provincial vicar from 2012 to 2017 and provincial counsellor from 2003 to 2008 and 2012 to 2017; provincial of the Salesians in Uruguay from 2018 to 2024; vice-president in 2018 and president in 2022 of CONFRU, the Conference of Religious of Uruguay; and vicar for Consecrated Life of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Montevideo since 2023. From 2024 he served as master of novices in the Southern Cone. On 19 March 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed him bishop of Florida. He was ordained and began his pastoral ministry as bishop of the Diocese of Florida on 31 May 2026. The principal ordaining minister was Cardinal Daniel Sturla, S.D.B.; the co-consecrators were Bishop Martín Pérez Scremini and Bishop Milton Tróccoli Cebedio.