Bishop of Punta Arenas
Bishop Óscar Hernán Blanco Martínez, O.M.D., was born on 26 September 1964 in Puerto Domínguez, diocese of Villarrica. He carried out his studies in philosophy at the San Pedro Apóstol Seminary in the diocese of San Bernardo and in theology at the Pontifical Major Seminary of Santiago. He gave his solemn religious profession in the Order of Clerics Regular of the Mother of God on 17 March 1996 and was ordained a priest on 13 April 1997. After ordination, he held the following offices: chaplain of the Clínica Familia in Santiago (1997-2016), parish vicar of San Lázaro (1997-2000), parish vicar (2000-2001) and parish priest of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Santiago (2001-2006), parish priest of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Rancagua (2006-2012, 2014-2016), and master of novices of the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God in Santiago (2013-2014). On 19 March 2016 he was appointed as bishop of San Juan Bautista de Calama, Chile, and received episcopal consecration the following 19 May.