Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, Bishop Anton Teuma and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi "joyfully welcome" the appointment by Pope Francis of Mgr Henry Joseph Balzan as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of La Serena, in Chile, the archdiocese said in a statement Friday.
The Archdiocese of Malta and the Diocese of Gozo are united in prayer for the Bishop-elect so that the Lord will help him in this new mission, the statement said.
Mgr Henry Joseph Balzan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Malta, was born on 1 November 1963 in Ħamrun. He entered the Seminary in 1982 and obtained his Bachelor’s degree, and later his Licentiate, in Theology from the University of Malta.
He was ordained priest on 5th July 1991. His first pastoral assignment was as Vice- Parish Priest at the Parish of St Joseph, Msida. In November 1995, he was sent as a missionary to Chile, in the diocese of Copiapò, where he worked till 2007. During these years, he was Parish Priest of Potrerillos and of the Parish of the Divine Saviour in El Salvador, Chile. He was also nominated Episcopal Vicar for Education.
In 2008, he returned to Malta where he remained till 2015, to assist his elderly mother who then passed away. During these years in Malta, he worked for some months in the Parish of Our Lady of Graces, Żabbar, and in December 2008 was nominated Parish Priest of the Parish of St Cajetan, Ħamrun.
In 2016, he resumed his pastoral ministry in Chile in the Diocese of Copiapò. He was Parish Priest of the Parish of the Holy Spirit in Diego de Almagro (2016-2017) and of the Parish of the Divine Saviour (2016-2019). In 2017 he was nominated animator for the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Copiapò.
In March 2020, he became Parish Priest of the Nostra Señora del Carmen Parish in Chañaral. In August 2021, he was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Copiapò. Since January 2022 he has been Parish Priest of the Parish of St Francis in the city of Copiapò.