The Spanish bishop and Augustinian Recollect missionary dedicated his life to the evangelization, formation, and accompaniment of communities, especially the indigenous peoples in Bocas del Toro.
The life of Bishop José Agustín Ganuza García, OAR (Artajona, Navarra, 1931 – Panama, 2026), Bishop Emeritus of the Prelature of Bocas del Toro, can be read as a long fidelity to the Gospel lived in a missionary spirit. An Augustinian Recollect religious, priest, and bishop, he was above all a consecrated man who understood his vocation as humble service to the People of God.
With 78 years of religious life, 72 years of priestly ministry, and 53 years of episcopal ministry, his trajectory summarizes an existence unreservedly dedicated to the Church and to mission.
A Vocation Forged in the Recollect Charism
He entered the Order of Augustinian Recollects in 1947 and made his solemn profession in 1952. He was ordained a priest in 1954, after completing his philosophical and theological formation, which culminated with a licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical University of Comillas.
From his early years, he showed a deep missionary consciousness, rooted in the spirit of Saint Augustine: the search for God, fraternal life, and service to the Church. This Recollect identity would mark his entire life.
Panama: Land of Mission and Dedication
In 1958, he was assigned to Panama. There, he began fruitful pastoral and educational work as a professor at San Agustín School. But it would be in the Prelature of Bocas del Toro where his missionary vocation would reach its full maturity.
Appointed prelate in 1970 by Saint Paul VI and ordained bishop in 1972, Bishop Ganuza exercised his episcopal ministry with an approachable, simple, and deeply pastoral style. He knew the human and ecclesial realities of his territory, walked with the communities, and promoted a Church incarnated in the life of the people.
His dedication to indigenous pastoral care was one of the most significant features of his ministry. He knew how to listen, accompany, and defend the dignity of indigenous peoples, promoting evangelizing processes respectful of their cultural identity.
Missionary Pastor and Man of the Church
In addition to his service in Bocas del Toro, he was provincial vicar of the Augustinian Recollects in Central America and Panama, strengthening the Order’s presence and mission in the region. He also presided over the Missions Department of the Panamanian Episcopal Conference, from where he encouraged the missionary dimension of the local Church.
Those who knew him highlight his simple spirit, his closeness, and his deep trust in God. He did not seek prominence; he preferred constant and silent work, typical of one who knows that the Kingdom often grows without fanfare.
A Witness of the Kingdom
The life of Bishop José Agustín Ganuza was that of a missionary who made Panama his home and his ministry a permanent offering. In him, the Augustinian Recollect ideal of community, interiority, and mission is embodied.
His legacy remains in the communities he accompanied, in the vocations he encouraged, in the particular Church he pastored, and in the discreet but firm imprint of one who lived so that Christ might be known and loved.
The Order of Augustinian Recollects thanks God for the gift of his life and his testimony, and trusts that the Lord, whom he served with fidelity, will welcome him into the fullness of the Kingdom he proclaimed.
