Juan Manuel Muñoz Curiel

Juan Manuel Muñoz Curiel, O.F.M., was born in Guadalajara on 12 March 1958, the eldest of five brothers, the son of José Manuel Muñoz Plascencia and María del Consuelo Curiel Morfín. He studied primary school at the Colegio 12 de Octubre, secondary school at the Colegio Motolinia (1965-1971), the Instituto Alfonso Reyes and Secundaria N. 5 (1971-1974), and preparatory school at Preparatoria N. 1 of the University of Guadalajara (1974-1977), then took the degree of Ingeniero Agrónomo Fitotecnista at the CUCBA of the University of Guadalajara (1977-1982). In the Franciscan Province of Santos Francisco y Santiago en México he completed the postulancy at San Agustín, Jalisco (1982-1983), the novitiate at Guadalupe, Zacatecas (1983-1984), philosophy at the Instituto de Filosofía, Convento de Zapopan (1984-1987), and theology at the Teologado Franciscano, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León (1989-1993). He made his first temporary profession on 15 August 1984 at Guadalupe, Zacatecas, and was ordained a priest on 3 July 1993 by José Lizares Estrada, auxiliary bishop of Monterrey. The diocesan profile prints his solemn profession as 20 September 1998 at Santa Anita, Jalisco, five years after his priestly ordination; that date is carried as printed and flagged as chronologically anomalous, not corrected to a guessed year. He took the licentiate in spiritual theology and Franciscanism at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome (2002-2005).

As a priest he served as professor at the Franciscan postulancy (1987-1989), president of the provincial commission for vocational pastoral care (1993-1996), province secretary at Zapopan (1996-2002), vicar parochial and vice-master of juniors at Santa Anita (2005-2008), collaborator in worship at San Francisco de Asís, Guadalajara (2008-2014) while also coordinator and adviser of public associations of the faithful and executive secretary of the episcopal vicariate for consecrated life (2005-2014), presbyteral council member (2010-2013), college of consultors member (2013), guardian at Aguascalientes and rector of San Diego, Aguascalientes (2014-2016), delegate general of the Minister General in the Province of Santo Evangelio de México (2015), provincial definitor (2016), and minister provincial of Santos Francisco y Santiago en México from 2017 until his election as auxiliary bishop. Pope Francis appointed him titular bishop of Tucci and auxiliary bishop of Guadalajara on 2 February 2018, jointly with Héctor López Alvarado (Sereddeli) and Engelberto Polino Sánchez (Vazari Didda). He was consecrated on Saturday 21 April 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the Santuario de los Mártires by Cardinal José Francisco Robles Ortega; his co-consecrators are not established in the opened sources, and no distinct possession ceremony as auxiliary was established. At the February 2018 press conference announcing the consecrations, Cardinal Robles Ortega entrusted to him the accompaniment and promotion of consecrated life. He remains auxiliary bishop of Guadalajara at as_of; on 11 October 2026 he preached the Mass of Renewal of the Patronage of Our Lady of Zapopan (see Quotes). His motto is "Les doy mi paz," from John 14:27.