The ordination ceremony of Father Michel Moura as Vicar Apostolic of Rodrigues will take place today at St. Gabriel’s Cathedral in Rodrigues. Father Michel Moura was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Rodrigues by Pope Francis last December.
Born on September 28, 1962, in Vacoas, Michel Moura is the seventh child of Emilie Louise and Bénédict Moura, a family of nine children—seven boys and two girls. When his father died in 1974, the family moved to Plaisance, Rose-Hill. He completed his primary education at the Plaisance Hugnin Government School. He did his secondary education at the Lycée Léoville L’Homme and completed his HSC at Eden College in 1982. Ordained at the age of 44, Mgr Moura was the parish priest of Saint Esprit in Bel-Air. On June 12, 2005, Michel Moura was ordained a deacon—the final step before being ordained a priest—in Luçon, France.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will attend the ordination ceremony. Mgr Michel Moura will be the second Vicar Apostolic (Bishop) of Rodrigues. The leader of the opposition will also attend the ceremony.
Bishop Jean-Michaël Durhône, who manages the diocese, is already in Rodrigues. He is accompanied by a delegation comprising Father Georgy Kenny, Vicar General, Fathers Eddy Coosnapen, Gérard Mongelard, Jean Maurice Labour, Father Pierre Piat and other bishops from the region. Maurice Piat, Bishop Emeritus of Port-Louis, will be the principal celebrant at the ordination.
Four Mauritians will hold the title of bishop from next week. The other three are Cardinal Maurice E. Piat, Bishop Emeritus of Port-Louis, who will be the principal celebrant at the ordination, Jean Michaël Durhône, Bishop of Port-Louis, and Alain Harel, President of the Indian Ocean Bishops’ Conference and Bishop of Port-Victoria, Seychelles.
During the absence of Bishop Durhône, Father Jean-Claude Véder, episcopal vicar, will administer the diocese.
Bishops of the region will be travelling to Rodrigues for the occasion. They are Mgr Tomasz Grysa, Apostolic Nuncio for the region, Mgr Gilbert Aubry, Bishop Emeritus of Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Mgr Pascal Chane Teng, Bishop Designate of Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Mgr Charles Mahuza Yava, Vicar Apostolic of the Comoros Archipelago, Mgr Fabien Raharilamboniaina, President of the Malagasy Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Morondava.
The episcopal ordination of Mgr Michel Moura will take place on Tuesday, March 19, at 2.30pm in Saint Gabriel’s cathedral. The ordination ceremony will be broadcast live in Mauritius on MBC TV 2 at 2.30pm and on the CAPAV Facebook page and the Facebook page of the “Vicariat Apostolique de Rodrigues.”
