Bishop Álvaro Mon Peréz

Rev. Fr. Álvaro Mon Peréz, C.Ss.R., was born on June 7, 1962, in Corrales, Colombia. After his novitiate with the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, he made his first vows on January 5, 1992. Having completed his studies in philosophy and theology, he made his perpetual vows on July 31, 1998, and was ordained a priest on January 30, 1999. He has held the following positions: member of the Bucaramanga Missionary Group (1999); parish priest, Vicar for Religious, and community superior in the Apostolic Vicariate of Reyes, Bolivia (2000–2005); member of the Sogamoso Missionary Group (2005); member of the Cali (Colombia) Missionary Group and community bursar (2006–2010); provincial consultor (2011); member of the Bogotá Missionary Group (2011–2015); parish priest in Sincelejo (2016–2018); and, until recently, chaplain of the San Clemente Redemptorist Seminary School in Manizales. Monsignor Álvaro Mon Pérez was born in the municipality of Corrales (Boyacá) on June 7, 1962, into a family with deeply Christian values. On January 27, 1990, he entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist Missionaries). He professed his religious vows on January 5, 1992, in Piedecuesta (Santander), made his perpetual vows on July 31, 1998, and was ordained a priest in Bogotá on January 30, 1999. He holds a degree in philosophy, a qualification in theology, and a Master’s degree in Theology and Humanities from the Catholic University of Manizales (Caldas). Since his ordination as a priest, he has worked as a missionary in various cities across the country, such as Bucaramanga, Cali, Bogotá, Sincelejo, and Manizales. He also carried out missionary work in the town of Tupiza, located in southern Bolivia. He served as a Provincial Councilor and member of the leadership team of the Redemptorist Community in Colombia. On March 30, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Vicar of Puerto Carreño. Father Álvaro assumed this episcopal role in the Vicariate after the see had become vacant following the appointment of Monsignor Francisco Antonio Ceballos as Bishop of the Diocese of Riohacha in April 2020. Subsequently, Monsignor Raúl Alfonso Carrillo, Apostolic Vicar of Puerto Gaitán (Meta), had been designated Apostolic Administrator of this jurisdiction. He received episcopal ordination on May 22, 2023, at the hands of Monsignor Francisco Ceballos, Bishop of Riohacha and also a Redemptorist missionary. This was a historic event, as it marked the first time in Colombia that a Redemptorist bishop consecrated another from his own community. He took possession of his assigned see on June 8, 2023.