Fernando Isern (born September 22, 1958) is a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n-born prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Formerly a pastor and high school president in the

Archdiocese of Miami The Archdiocese of Miami (, , ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in South Florida in the United States. It is the metropolitan see for the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, which ...

, he served as bishop of the

Diocese of Pueblo In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

in Colorado from 2009 to 2013.

Biography

Early life and education

Fernando Isern was born on September 22, 1958, in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

and then in 1967 to

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. Isern graduated from

Champagnat Catholic School Champagnat Catholic School is a private Catholic school with a campus in Hialeah, Florida, United States. Established in 1968, the school used to serve students in sixth through twelfth grades. The school closed sometime around June 27, 2022, aan ...

in Hialeah, Florida, in 1977. After high school, he attended

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (MDC) is a public university, public college located in Miami, Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1959, MDC operates eight campuses and numerous outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade Count ...

and then

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

, both in Miami, where he graduated in 1982 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in business administration. After graduation, Isern got a job in marketing with First National Bank of Miami, promoting the introduction of ATM machines in Florida. While working at First National, Isern started seriously considering the priesthood. He began spending time at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, eventually enrolling there. He also studied at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about north of Miami. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded a population of 80,380. Boynton Beach is located in the Mi ...

Ordination and Ministry

Isern was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Miami on April 16, 1993. He then served as a

parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

at St. Mark Parish in

Southwest Ranches, Florida Southwest Ranches is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban community part of the Miami metropolitan area and is located on the eastern edge of the Everglades, southwest of Fort Lauderdale and about northwest of Mia ...

. In 1996, Isern was transferred to St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale and 36 miles north of Miami. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part ...

. In 1999, Isern became an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

at St. Vincent de Paul and assistant

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

for the archdiocesan Youth Center and for ''Encuentros Juveniles''. He was also appointed as parochial vicar at St. Agnes Parish in

Key Biscayne, Florida Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Located on the island of Key Biscayne, the village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 14,809 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

. In 2002, Isern was sent to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Miami as

. In 2003, he was appointed

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of that parish. From 2008 to 2009, Isern also served as president of Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School in Miami. He is affiliated with the

Schoenstatt Movement The Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt () is a Catholic Marian movement founded in Germany in 1914 by Fr Joseph Kentenich, who saw the movement as a means of spiritual renewal for the Catholic Church. The movement is named after the small loc ...

Bishop of Pueblo, Colorado

On October 15, 2009, Isern was appointed the fourth bishop of Pueblo by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

. Isern received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on December 10, 2009, at an arena at

Colorado State University-Pueblo Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) is a public university in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Colorado State University System and a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). History 1933 to 1959 The idea for starting ...

. His principal consecrator was Archbishop Charles J. Chaput; the principal co-consecrators were Archbishop John C. Favalora and Bishop Arthur N. Tafoya. Isern was the 11th priest from the Archdiocese of Miami to become a bishop. As bishop, Isern instituted perpetual adoration at the Shrine of Saint Therese in Pueblo.

Retirement

On June 13, 2013, Pope Francis accepted Isern's resignation due to poor health as bishop of Pueblo.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isern, Fernando 1958 births Living people Clergy from Havana Florida International University alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami Cuban emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Pueblo 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Florida