Bishop of Coroatá
Bishop Sebastião Bandeira Coêlho, Bishop of Coroatá, Maranhão, Brazil, was born on 31 January 1959 in Riação, in the diocese of Balsas, Brazil. Ordained a priest in 1984 for the diocese of Balsas, he attended primary courses in his native place, secondary courses at Saint Pius X College in Balsas, and philosophy and theology courses at the archdiocesan seminary of Fortaleza. He obtained a licentiate in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He exercised his ministry first in the minor seminary and then in the major seminary of Balsas. He was pastor at Fortaleza dos Nogueiras, vicar general of the diocese of Balsas, responsible for family pastoral ministry and vocational pastoral ministry. At the same time he collaborated pastorally in three neighborhoods of the city of Balsas. At the time of the source he was rector of the diocesan seminary, located in the city of São Luís do Maranhão, and also professor of theology and coordinator of the theology courses of the Institute of Higher Studies of Maranhão, IESM.