Bishop of Lae
Rev. Fr. Rozario Menezes, S.M.M., was born on August 30, 1969, in Virajpet, Karnataka, India. He entered the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Company of Mary (Montfort Missionaries) and completed his pre-university studies at St. Philomena’s College in Mysore. He obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Mysore. He pursued philosophical and theological studies at Dharmaram College in Bangalore, making his religious profession on May 31, 1992. He was ordained a priest on November 4, 1999. Following his ordination, he held the following positions: from 1999 to 2000, Assistant to the Novice Master and Bursar for his Congregation in India; from 2000 to 2008, missionary in the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga, Papua New Guinea, serving as Delegate Superior of the Montfort Missionaries (2005–2008) and head of the Diocesan Projects Office (2007–2008); from 2008 to 2011, studies in Psychology and Counseling at the Institute for Integral Human Formation in Montreal, Canada; from 2011 to 2017, returning as a missionary to Papua New Guinea, he served as Parish Priest of St. Martin de Porres (Archdiocese of Port Moresby), Delegate Superior and person in charge of vocations and formation for the Montfort Missionaries, Projects Coordinator for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands [PNG/SI] (2012–2014), President of the Federation of Religious in PNG/SI (2015–2017), and a member of the College of Consultors and the Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Port Moresby; and since 2017, General Councilor of the Company of Mary (Montfort Missionaries) in Rome.