Bishop of Palm Beach
Msgr. Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez was born on 15 January 1974 in the Dominican Republic. He entered the Salesians in 1993, giving his solemn vows in 2002. He attended the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in Santo Domingo, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a licentiate in law. He was awarded a licentiate in education from the Universidad Católica Santo Domingo and a master’s degree from the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. He was subsequently awarded a master’s degree in education from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo and a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America in Washington. He was ordained a priest on 3 July 2004 and incardinated in the diocese of Brooklyn on 29 June 2012. He has held the following offices: director of the Colegio Don Bosco (2004-2008) and of the Colegio de Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (2008-2009); parish vicar of Saint Michael in Brooklyn (2009-2011); administrator (2011-2012) and parish priest (2012-2014) of Saints Peter and Paul in Brooklyn; parish priest of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Queens (2014-2020) and Our Lady of Sorrows (since 2020), and defender of the bond (since 2017).