Pope Francis has named Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson and diocesan episcopal vicar for special projects, to the first section of the newly created Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican, Section for Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World.
Msgr. Geno Sylva said he was surprised and honored by the news of his Vatican appointment to the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican. Msgr. Sylva is the rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson and the diocesan episcopal vicar for special projects.
On April 25, the Vatican newsletter announced that Pope Francis named Msgr. Sylva as one of 19 people, in addition to 15 consultants, to the first section of the dicastery for a five-year term. It addresses the basic issues regarding evangelization — spreading the Gospel — around the globe. Msgr. Sylva was appointed to the Section for Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World.
From 2012 to 2018, Msgr. Sylva served as an English language official of the former Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization for the Holy See in Rome, a precursor to the dicastery. He will continue to serve the Paterson Diocese.
On the day of the Vatican announcement, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney issued a statement sharing the news of Msgr. Sylva’s appointment.
“It is not surprising that our Holy Father should make such good use of the many gifts that Msgr. Sylva has shared in our own diocese and previously at the former Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization,” Bishop Sweeney wrote. “[Msgr. Sylva] brings not only boundless energy and enthusiasm to any role but is imbued with Pope Francis’ constant teaching on accompaniment and mercy.”
Msgr. Sylva said he first learned about the appointment by reading the Vatican newsletter that day and hasn’t been told yet what his role in the first section will entail. He did express hope that his new position will enable him to share with the world the many successful evangelization initiatives undertaken by the Paterson Diocese.
“It would be great in the new role to share the creative ways the Paterson Diocese has been reigniting and reenergizing people’s faith, including those who have become indifferent. Our efforts in the diocese could become models of evangelization for dioceses, churches, and communities around the world. This will help the Church in implementing Pope Francis’ vision of the New Evangelization,” Msgr. Sylva said.
Msgr. Sylva specifically cited the inspired work of St. John’s, the mother church of the diocese, and the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, which he and Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli opened in 2010. It’s one of the only diocesan evangelization centers in the United States.
At the cathedral, the faithful get to “connect sacramental life with social action. One feeds another,” he said.
The first section of the dicastery is headed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Msgr. Geno’s former supervisor at the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. This first section is responsible for “promoting evangelization, missionary discipleship, catechesis, and Christian social engagement in countries where Christianity already is well established.”
The Dicastery for Evangelization was established in 2022 with the promulgation of Pope Francis’ new Apostolic Constitution, Praedicate Evangelium (“preach the Gospel”). It reorganized the Roman Curia, the Church’s administrative bodies, under the guiding theme of evangelization.
“We promise our prayers for Msgr. Sylva in this new role and are glad to know that he will continue his service as cathedral rector and vicar for special projects,” Bishop Sweeney said. “Msgr. Sylva’s response in taking on additional responsibilities from the Holy See is characteristic of his constant ‘yes’ to joyfully serve the needs of the Universal Church and a source of pride for our own local church of Paterson.”