Dominican Faithful Bid Farewell to Bishop Moya
Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for Bishop Jesús María de Jesús Moya; a novena continues at the cathedral through Nov. 15.
On November 7, 2026, Catholics in the Dominican Republic gathered to bid farewell to Bishop Emeritus Jesús María de Jesús Moya, former bishop of San Francisco de Macorís, who died on November 4 at the age of 93.
His body lay in state at Saint Anne Cathedral. The funeral Mass was celebrated at 10:00 a.m. by Bishop Ramón Alfredo de la Cruz Baldera, the current bishop of San Francisco de Macorís. After the liturgy, the late bishop was buried.
A Pope’s Condolences and a Pastor’s Legacy
During the Mass, a message from Pope Leo XIV was read. The Holy Father offered suffrages for the eternal rest of this pastor and expressed his deep condolences to all the members of this particular Church, as well as to the family members and acquaintances of the deceased.
Fr. Paulino Paredes, vicar general of the diocese, said that Bishop Moya carried out his apostolic mission “as a teacher, teaching the values of the Gospel, the social doctrine of the Church and caring for the deposit of faith.” The emeritus bishop often said, “Education is a form of love, and governing is a form of service.”
The Dominican Bishops’ Conference (CED) said a novena will be prayed daily at 3:00 p.m. in the cathedral until November 15.
From Seminary to Nearly Three Decades as Diocesan Bishop
Born on November 28, 1932, Jesús María de Jesús Moya studied at the Pontifical Seminary of Saint Thomas Aquinas and was ordained a priest on March 18, 1961. He served as director of the Pontifical Mission Societies from 1963 to 1977, as chaplain of the Dominican Air Force from 1966, and as vicar general of Santiago de los Caballeros from 1970 to 1984.
He was named auxiliary bishop of Santiago de los Caballeros on April 13, 1977. On April 20, 1984, he became the second bishop of San Francisco de Macorís, a diocese he led for 28 years until his resignation in 2012.
The faithful of San Francisco de Macorís thus closed a chapter marked by long episcopal service, catechesis, and care for the deposit of faith, entrusting their former shepherd to the mercy of God and continuing to pray for him in the novena at the cathedral.