The Diocese of Málaga announced this Sunday a series of changes on the Costa del Sol, including the departure of José Antonio Melgar, parish priest of Manilva and Casares for twelve years, who is moving to Estepona.
Priest José Antonio Melgar Muriana leaves the parishes of Santa Ana (Manilva) and Santa María de la Encarnación (Casares) after more than a decade leading both communities. The Diocese of Málaga made the appointments public this Sunday, July 19, which include his transfer to San José de Estepona and the Purísimo Corazón de María in Cancelada.
Change in Manilva and Casares
In his place, José Carlos Huete Arquero will take over the responsibility of these parishes, who was already the parish priest of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Estepona and will also continue to lead Santa Ana and Santa María de la Encarnación. Additionally, Miguel Chacón Vílchez has been appointed as the parish vicar of the same churches, adding to his role as a hospital chaplain at the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella.
Another notable movement in the area is that of Luis Miguel Aguilar Castillo, who will continue as the parish priest of San Luis de Sabinillas and El Carmen in Estepona. Meanwhile, Francisco Javier Velasco del Pozo has been designated as the parish priest of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Benalmádena pueblo.
“José Antonio Melgar has left a deep mark in Manilva, especially due to his social commitment and his closeness to the youth,” highlights the parish community.
A decade of service and solidarity
Melgar arrived in Manilva in the summer of 2014, trained in the Salesians of Ronda and with a dialoguing style that quickly resonated with the parishioners. During these twelve years, he launched Cáritas Manilva in 2022, a key initiative to help the most vulnerable families in the municipality, and presided over the entity since its creation.
His work transcended the local: as president of the NGO ACISS, he led humanitarian expeditions to Ghana and Sierra Leone, where he collaborated with doctors from Málaga hospitals to perform surgeries and train professionals. A missionary vocation that he balanced with his daily life in the parishes of Manilva, Sabinillas, and Casares.
For the residents of the Costa del Sol, the change marks a new stage: José Carlos Huete already knows the area and is expected to maintain the approachability. The faithful of Manilva and Casares will be able to meet him at the masses next weekend.
Other movements in the province
In addition to the changes on the Costa del Sol, the Diocese has announced reassignments in other vicarages, although without direct impact on the region. The Málaga diocese thus renews part of its clergy, seeking to balance the pastoral needs of the different municipalities.
The new appointments will take effect in the coming weeks, once the administrative procedures are completed. Meanwhile, the community of Manilva bids farewell to a parish priest who, beyond the religious, leaves a legacy of solidarity that, as he himself repeated, “knows no borders.”
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