Rome, May 12, 2026 — The Holy Father has appointed Father Homero Marín Arboleda, C.M., a Colombian Vincentian missionary, as Apostolic Vicar of Tierradentro, Colombia. Until now, Father Marín Arboleda had been serving in Papua New Guinea as parish priest of Saint Anthony of Padua on Kiriwina Island and Blessed John Mazzucconi on Woodlark Island.

This appointment is a moment of joy and thanksgiving for the worldwide Vincentian Family, especially for the Congregation of the Mission, which has a long missionary history in Tierradentro. According to the Colombian Episcopal Conference, the Tierradentro mission was entrusted to the Congregation of the Mission in 1905, and the Apostolic Prefecture of Tierradentro was established by the Holy See in 1921, with the Jus commissionis entrusted to the Vincentian community.

Image taken from the website of the Colombian Episcopal Conference.

Father Homero Marín Arboleda, C.M., was born on November 17, 1959, in Circasia, Quindío, Colombia. He studied philosophy at the Seminario Mayor La Milagrosa in Medellín and theology at Seminario Villa Paúl. He was ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Mission on November 21, 1987.

His ministry has been marked by missionary service, formation, and pastoral leadership. After ordination, he served as parish vicar and then parish priest in Vitoncó, vice rector and professor at the Seminario Indígena Páez, parish priest of Willa, rector of the minor seminary of Páez, and professor at the major seminary. He later earned a licentiate in missiology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome in 1996.

He also served as provincial councilor in Colombia from 1997 to 2000, formator at the Seminario Indígena Páez, and rector of the Seminario Mayor La Milagrosa in Medellín. In 2001, he began a long period of missionary service in Papua New Guinea, where he was vice rector of the seminary in Bomana, parish priest of Holy Name of Jesus in Bomana, superior of the Lazarist Mission in Papua New Guinea, and later parish priest on Kiriwina and Woodlark Islands.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro is located in the department of Cauca, Colombia, with its seat in Belalcázar, Páez. The Colombian Episcopal Conference notes that the region has a rich and complex missionary history dating back to the 17th century, with evangelizing efforts carried out over the centuries by Jesuits, Franciscans, diocesan clergy, and, since the early 20th century, the Vincentians.

For the Vincentian Family, Father Marín Arboleda’s appointment highlights a life deeply rooted in the missionary charism of Saint Vincent de Paul: service among local communities, formation of clergy and pastoral leaders, and generous availability to go wherever the Church calls.

We join the Church in Colombia, the Congregation of the Mission, and the Vincentian Family throughout the world in praying for Bishop-elect Homero Marín Arboleda, C.M., as he begins this new ministry among the people of Tierradentro.

May the Lord, through the intercession of Saint Vincent de Paul, strengthen him in his episcopal mission and bless the communities entrusted to his pastoral care.