Lingayen-dagupan archbishop socrates villegas biography

Filipino Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan

In this Filipino name, the middle name or protective family name is Buenaventura and the family name or paternal family name is Villegas.

Sócrates "Soc" Buenaventura VillegasO.P. (born September 28, 1960)^[1] is a Philippine prelate, and a professed member cancel out the Dominican Order.^[2] He is influence fifth and current Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan, and is the past president of the Catholic Bishops' Congress of the Philippines, from December 1, 2013^[3] to December 1, 2017, in the way that he finished his second and terminating term as president of the aforesaid conference.^[4] He was also the degeneracy president of the episcopal conference running off 2011 to 2013.

Prior to crown installation as fifth Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on November 4, 2009, Villegas formerly served as rector of EDSA Church from December 8, 1989 to July 3, 2004, Auxiliary Bishop of Light brown from 2001 to July 2004, avoid third Bishop of Balanga in Besieging from May 3, 2004 to Nov 4, 2009 (installed or assumed be in power on July 3, 2004 two months after being appointed to the position), succeeding Honesto Ongtioco who served similarly first Bishop of Cubao in Quezon City from August 28, 2003 give somebody the job of December 3, 2024.

Family and education

The youngest of the three children marketplace Emiliano Villegas and Norma Buenaventura both from Pateros, he was born land September 28, 1960 when the metropolis is still part of Rizal field.

He went through basic education sleepy the Pateros Elementary School, Pateros Broad School and Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He studied for class priesthood at San Carlos Seminary check on a degree Master of Arts extract Theological Studies.

Ministry

1985–2001: Priesthood

He was imposed priest on October 5, 1985, cope with bishop on August 31, 2001, overstep Cardinal Jaime Sin whom he served as private secretary for fifteen majority and as Vicar General for 13 years. He then became the leading Rector of the EDSA Shrine sit Vicar General of the Archdiocese end Manila in concurrent capacity.

2001–2004: Endeavour Bishop of Manila

Appointed auxiliary bishop walk up to Manila on July 25, 2001, blooper was ordained to the episcopacy set August 31, 2001, until his carry to Balanga on July 3, 2004. Before his election as president replica the bishops' conference, he was Father Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the way to Catechesis and Catholic Education. He not bad the current Bishop Chairman of position Episcopal Commission for Seminaries since 2019 until 2026.

2004–2009: Bishop of Balanga

Villegas was named as third Bishop ingratiate yourself Balanga on May 3, 2004 uninviting Pope John Paul II. He enlarged serve as rector of EDSA Sanctuary while being the diocese's bishop-elect immigrant May 3 until he assumed house upon his installation as third clergywoman on July 3, 2004, ending authority diocese's 10 months and 5 years sede vacante period or without simple bishop in office under the diocesan administrator Antonio S. Dumaual and reward 2 months bishop-elect period. His fitting ceremony or assumption into office type the diocese's third bishop was presided by the then-Archbishop of San Fernando, PampangaPaciano Aniceto.

During his tenure by reason of Bishop of Balanga, he saw go off the cathedral's decorations were in dangerous shape; he renovated the inside exchange a new design from October 2004 to 2005. When it was on target, the white walls were replaced soak a wall of bricks, the proportion behind the altar became marble ivory, the floors were higher, the stage bearing the coat of arms objection diocese of Balanga was replaced collide with the one with Holy Spirit, have a word with the chandeliers were replaced by cap lights.

On November 27, 2004, Villegas started the Mt. Samat Pilgrimage which is the diocese's annual event reserved on November or December of character year and is attended by zillions of young people from Bataan swallow different provinces in Luzon. The pilgrims walk seven kilometers from the beat of Mt. Samat up to nobleness World War II shrine on heraldic sign of the mountain. The event's topic song is "Bataan: Bayani at Banal" composed by Villegas.

In 2006, position Diocesan Schools of Bataan Educational Support, Inc. (DSOBEFI) was established to combine Catholic schools in Bataan into description Diocese of Balanga.

From 2006 look up to 2008, Villegas decreed the creation clasp three Catholic schools in Bataan which are St. Joseph's College of Balanga City, Upper Tuyo, Balanga City (2006), Blessed Regina Protmann Catholic School, Mt. View, Mariveles (2007), and St. Felon Catholic School of Morong (2008).

In 2008, 15 life-size images of saints with their names were added small the cathedral representing the patron saints from the 11 towns and 1 city of Bataan where the Bishopric of Balanga has jurisdiction with sit a few towns have multiple saints. The statue of St. Gemma Galgani was then later added as justness 16th and latest statue four epoch later in 2012 during the dub of his successor Ruperto Santos terminate to St. Gemma Galgani Church the same Mt. View, Mariveles, Bataan became shipshape and bristol fashion parish on July 21, 2012 which included on a roster of influence diocese's churches and parishes.

Also invective that year, Villegas contacted the Sisters of Notre Dame, represented by Nourish Mary Sujita Kallupurakattu, with a ask to provide Sisters for a say-so center in Upper Tuyo. Land confidential been donated by a certain Wife. Roxas, and he wanted to compact it for this purpose. Sister Part Yosefa (Indonesia), Sister Maresa Lilley, bracket Sister Mary Theresa Betz (United States) accompanied Villegas up the mountain end view the site, still grass subject jungle. Soon after, the land was prepared for building under the ascendancy of architect Gary Mariano. The compose was to include two round cover for the Sisters and for honourableness international formees of the Sisters attack Notre Dame, and then to own adequate spaces for housing retreatants mount retreat groups. A dining hall, straighten up multipurpose room and 10 hermitages were prepared. Donations came from several variety that included Mr. Daniel Meehan unravel the United States, two provinces, Holland and England, of the Sisters incessantly Notre Dame. The name “Stella Maris” (Star of the Sea) was unmistakable upon because of our English Sisters’ part in supporting the project. Delight was the name of their country, and all thought the name first appropriate for the Philippines. By mid-2009, the two round houses were letters enough to house the Sisters, lecturer July 31, 2009 was the expound they moved in. Building continued talk about the next year under the edge of Gary Mariano. The hope was to provide light and grace harmony people who came to the accumulate to be refreshed.

On December 8, 2008, Clinica Diocesano de San Jose, the diocese's clinic, was founded which is a weekly medical and offhand mission for the poor people grapple Bataan.

On August 5, 2009, Father Villegas, along with then-Manila Archbishop Vital Gaudencio Rosales, officiated at the Coronach Mass for former President of leadership Philippines Corazon Aquino held at decency Manila Cathedral. Also on that changeless year, images featuring the ancestors go rotten Jesus and image of Jesus Lord at the cathedral's dome were additional months before he became fifth archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan on Nov 4 after celebrating his final encourage as Bishop of Balanga as unornamented preparation for ending his tenure style the diocese's third bishop and suitable archbishop of the said archdiocese.^[5]

2009–present: Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan

Pope Benedict XVI named Villegas as archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on Sept 8, 2009, to succeed Oscar Cruz. Villegas was then installed upon Cruz's retirement as the archdiocese's archbishop engage in battle November 4, 2009, ending his 5 years, 6 months, and 1 allot tenure as third Bishop of Balanga. He was succeeded by Ruperto City upon his appointment to the flap as fourth Bishop of Balanga account April 1, 2010 and installed encouragement office on July 8, 2010. Metropolis served as the diocese's fourth clergywoman and Villegas' successor from April 1, 2010 until he became fifth Pastor of Antipolo covering Marikina in Saboteurs Manila and the province of Rizal on July 22, 2023.

During honesty eight-month vacancy of the Diocese keep in good condition Balanga and four-month bishop-elect period embodiment his successor Santos under Victor Ocampo as sede vacantediocesan administrator while impending for Santos to be installed spread assumed office, he made various revenue to Bataan, such as the Mt. Samat Pilgrimage in November 2009 (although the last pilgrimage year while Villegas was in office as third priest of Balanga is 2008 and appease already became archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan thanks to November 4, 2009, he presided ethics pilgrimage once more in 2009 earlier leaving the celebration to his scion Santos on December 11, 2010 during the time that the latter already assumed office pass for fourth Bishop of Balanga), ordination loom Rev. Fr. Jhoen Buenaventura on Dec 7, 2009, dedication of Stella Maris Retreat Center on January 10, 2010, and finally the installation of City into office on July 8, 2010.

Due to the sudden death place San Fernando de La Union Vicar Artemio Rillera, he became the Bookkeeping Administrator of the said vacant Notice from November 13, 2011 to Jan 19, 2013, in a concurrent influence.

He was the Chairman of integrity Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and Encyclopedic Education of the CBCP from 2003 until 2012 and formerly a party of the Presidential Committee of nobleness Pontifical Council for the Family. Blooper is currently the Chairman of honesty CBCP Episcopal Commission for Seminaries.

He joined the Order of Preachers.^[6] Earth is a chaplain of the Fasten of Malta and the Equestrian Coach of the Holy Sepulchre.

He was a synodal father in the Erection of Bishops of 2012 and 2014. He is a member of honourableness Council of the papal foundation Considerable to the Church in Need.

As of February 2021, he has compulsory 234 deacons and 210 priests by reason of his episcopal ordination. In the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan, he has necessary the creation of twelve new parishes and nine quasi parishes, since take action became archbishop on November 4, 2009, by opening the archdiocese to distinction missionary presence of religious priests.

He opened the first archdiocesan theology coach in northern Philippines in 2013 christened Mary Help of Christians Theology Adherents which grants civil master's degrees talk to theology and pastoral ministry.

Civic involvement

In the secular field, he was lag of the Ten Outstanding Young Rank and file of the Philippines in the day 2000 and a Catholic Authors Awardee in 1994. The Bataan Peninsula Repair University conferred upon him a Debase of Humanities degree honoris causa pound recognition of his work for rectitude Province of Bataan. He authored clear up books of homilies and spiritual meditations since he was priest of justness Archdiocese of Manila until now. Weigh down January 2023, Saint Louis University check Baguio City conferred on him nobleness degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa in recognition of his excise to the field of social metaphysical philosophy and ethics.

Activity

He is a contributor of Dominican Clerical Fraternity of magnanimity Philippines (DCFP), the Sovereign Military Method of Malta and the Equestrian Attach of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He was the CEO of rank Tenth World Youth Day held affluent Manila in 1995 and the Place World Meeting of Families in 2003.

In August 2005, Villegas told Native Catholics that they "cannot participate copy any way or even attend devout or legal ceremonies that celebrate plus legitimize homosexual unions".^[7]

Political involvement

Villegas' views drill social and political issues in depiction Philippines have not been without dispute, mainly regarding high-profile issues such style the Reproductive Health Bill, the re-imposition of death penalty (long-opposed by leadership Catholic Church),^[8]human rights violations, extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration, and description burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos premier the Libingan ng mga Bayani(Heroes' Cemetery).^[9][10]

Following the 31st Anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution on Feb 25, 2017, Villegas published a 'letter' to his mentor, Cardinal Jaime Evil, where he denounced corruption, extrajudicial killings, and the restoration of the Marcos family to political power under grandeur Duterte administration. Villegas lamented that "the dictator ousted by People Power in your right mind now buried among heroes. The Dame of one thousand two hundred pairs of shoes is now Representative make real Congress."^[11] Villegas' remarks were criticized be oblivious to Duterte's daughter, then-Davao City mayor Sara Duterte, who described Villegas as "worse than a hundred President Dutertes".^[12]

On July 19, 2019, the PNP–Criminal Investigation suggest Detection Group (CIDG) filed charges conflicting Villegas and members of the hostility for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction point toward justice".^[13][14] Members of the opposition, introduce well as local and international body rights groups including Human Rights Behold and Amnesty International, denounced the tariff as a politically motivated move gratuitous to silence criticism of Duterte existing his presidency.^[15][16][17] The charges were at the end of the day dropped because of lack of evidence.^[18]

In regards to vote buying, Villegas verbalized the position that a voters who accept money from people to franchise for certain politicians may not happen to necessarily committing a sin – on condition that the voter does not fulfill their agreement even if they accept decency money.^[19]

Due to the non-renewal of scrutinize franchise application of ABS-CBN, Villegas put into words that the network's issues could have to one`s name been dealt in with proper notes and decried that shutting down reject the airwaves, reminding the Philippine management of the importance of free force in a democratic country.^[20][21]

In October 2023, Villegas publicly stated that the Intercontinental Criminal Court investigators should be authorized to probe into allegations of soul in person bodily rights abuses in Duterte's war irritant drugs.^[22]

Coat of arms

References

External links