Luis Aponte Martínez

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cardinal
,
Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Previous post(s)Bishop of Ponce
(1963‍–‍1964)
MottoIn virtute Dei
Coat of armsLuis Aponte Martínez's coat of arms
Ordination history of
Luis Aponte Martínez
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byJames Edward McManus CSsR (Ponce)
DateApril 10, 1950
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated byFrancis Cardinal Spellman (New York)
DateOctober 12, 1960
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Paul VI
DateMarch 5, 1973
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Luis Aponte Martínez as principal consecrator
Miguel Rodriguez RodriguezMarch 23, 1974
Ulises Aurelio Casiano VargasApril 30, 1976
Héctor Manuel Rivera PérezAugust 17, 1979
Enrique Manuel Hernández RiveraAugust 17, 1979
Hermín Negrón SantanaSeptember 7, 1981
Ruben Antonio González MedinaFebruary 4, 2001

Luis Aponte Martínez (August 4, 1922 – April 10, 2012) was a

John Paul II
.

Early life and education

Aponte Martínez was born in the town of Lajas, Puerto Rico,[1][2] the son of Santiago Evangelista Aponte and Rosa María Martínez.[3]

Aponte came from a large family, the eighth of 18 children. He served as an altar boy for many years in his hometown.[

Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied at Saint John's Seminary.[1] He also attended Boston College and earned his doctorate from the seminary at Saint Leo University in Florida
.

Priesthood and episcopacy

Aponte was ordained a

San German, Puerto Rico, on April 10, 1950, by James Edward McManus, the Bishop of Ponce.[1][2] Between 1950 and 1955, he served as a pastor in various towns in the diocese. In 1955 he served as secretary to the bishop, as well as superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese. In 1957, he once again served as a pastor and also served as chaplain in the Puerto Rico National Guard, until his appointment in 1957 as chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce.[3]

On October 12, 1960, Aponte Martinez became only the second native-born Puerto Rican in nearly 150 years (after Juan Alejo de Arizmendi) to be consecrated as a bishop, being appointed auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Ponce by Pope John XXIII, assigned as the titular bishop of Lares. On April 16, 1963, Aponte Martinez was appointed coadjutor bishop of Ponce by Pope John, to which office he succeeded on November 18, 1963, and was installed on the following February 22. On November 4, 1964, he was appointed by Pope Paul VI as the Archbishop of San Juan.[1][2]

Cardinal

Styles of
Luis Aponte Martínez
His Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeSan Juan (Emeritus)

On March 5, 1973,

Santa Maria della Provvidenza a Monteverde
.

He held the position of president of the board of directors of the

Latin American Episcopal Conference
(CELAM).

In 1984, Aponte helped coordinate and was among the many dignitaries who greeted Pope John Paul II, upon his visit to Puerto Rico.

Cardinal Aponte was actively involved in some of the church's major acquisitions in Puerto Rico. Among these were a television and radio station and a weekly publication called El Visitante (The Visitor). This served to spread the church's point of view all over the island.

Cardinal Aponte retired as Archbishop of

Papal Conclave of 2005
, but was unable to vote, since he was 82 at the time of the conclave, past the canonical age of 80 for electors.

In 2006, he published his memoirs, Unde hoc mihi.

Death

Aponte died on April 10, 2012, at the Hospital Español de Auxilio Mutuo in San Juan after a long illness. He was 89.

Luis Fortuno
declared five days of official mourning for the cardinal, who died on the 62nd anniversary of his priestly ordination.

His body was taken to churches in

apostolic delegate to Puerto Rico, concelebrating.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Holy See Press Office".
  2. ^ a b c d "Luis Cardinal Aponte Martínez [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Luis Cardenal Aponte Martínez". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Luis Cardinal Aponte Martínez [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
  5. ^ "CNS NEWS BRIEFS Apr-10-2012". archive.is. 21 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2019.

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Archbishop of San Juan
1964–1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Ponce
1963–1964 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
–
 Coadjutor Bishop of Ponce
1963–1963 		Succeeded by
–
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of Ponce
1960–1963 		Succeeded by
–
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luis_Aponte_Martínez&oldid=1219706856"