San Carlos Diocese turns 25

San Carlos Diocese turns 25

Diocese waives celeb for quake victims



                The earthquake that wracked the eastern part of Negros Island triggered the Diocese of San Carlos to defer the festive celebration in unveiling the 25th Silver Jubilee anniversary of the Diocese last February 10.

                Commemorations started with a mass at the San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese, celebrated by the former Bishop of San Carlos Diocese, Most Rev. Jose F. Advincula Jr., D.D. Advincula, now the Archbishop of the Diocese of Capiz, together with the 50 guest priests of the different parishes under the SC Diocese.

                In the afternoon, instead of the original plan to have a Cultural program at the City Auditorium, the Diocese chose to give help to the victims of earthquake especially in the towns of Guihulngan and La Libertad, the parishes which are members of SC Diocese.  The Diocese occupies a territory on the northeastern part of Negros Island comprising four municipalities of Negros Oriental, including La Libertad, Guihulngan, Vallehermoso, Canlaon, and seven of Negros Occidental, like Manapla, Escalante, Toboso, Calatrava, Don Salvador Benedicto,  Cadiz, Sagay. In Negros Occidental, San Carlos City is the seat of the diocese.

                Archbishop Advincula, together with the priests, seminarians and some religious organizations personally attended to the mission for the earthquake victims.

Collapsed convent. Archbishop Jose Advincula, Jr., DD. of the Diocese of Capiz, left, inspects the two-storey convent of the parish in Guihulngan with Rev. Fr. Rodolfo Benlot, extreme right resident priest at St. John Mary Vianney Seminary. Advincula, the former bishop of the Diocese of San Carlos, came from Capiz to kick-off the year-long 25th anniversary of the diocese but chose to visit the earthquake devastated areas instead of making merry. Photo by Jennifer

                Rev. Fr. Patrick Daniel Parcon, the Diocesan Administrator told NRWP in an interview that, "There's a proper time for merry making activity.  We opted to have this mission in the towns of Guihulngan and La Libertad to empathize with them and to reach out to our brothers and sisters there."  He added, "The heart-breaking situations in Negros Oriental harmonize with the emotional condition of the Diocese, as we do not [yet  have] a Bishop.  As [the] Diocesan administrator, I will carry out the finest for this year-long celebration.  We just hope and pray for a new bishop to come before, or on 2013."

SOS! Earthquake victims in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental call attention of passers-by using makeshift banners asking for food and drinking water.

Then and now

                Revealing facts about the San Carlos Borromeo Diocese, Rev. Fr. Martin G. Brondit Jr., the Diocesan Chancellor said that the diocese now comprises 25 parishes, five mission stations, and about 724, 313 Catholics. It also comprises 59 diocesan priests, 14 religious priests, and 100 diocesan seminarians and 36 religious seminarians. The diocese also owns educational institutions with about 30 schools.

                From its creation in 1988 under the first bishop, Bishop Emeritus Nicolas M. Mondejar, DD, the diocese has witnessed the construction of monumental buildings on a three-hectare lot donated by a generous family from San Carlos. Completed are the Bishop's Home and chancery offices, dormitories for lay seminarians and the seminary buildings of the St. John Mary Vianney Seminary. All these have been made possible by the reign of the former Bishop Advincula and from the finance of the faithful and some benefactors from abroad.

In response to the theme

                To mark the anniversary, the diocese organized the 2012 Diocese of San Carlos Alay Kapwa Medical Mission and Services in partnership with the Local Government Unit of SC, the Risen Savior Mission (RSM) from United States, the San Carlos Medical Society and the Office of the Ombudsman.  The RSM volunteer is composed of Doctors from the USA.

                Fr. Edwin Laude, the Director of Social Action Center, said that, "This one week medical mission at the [Parish Pastoral Council] Hall and other services such as the NSO processing, is open to all the parishioners under the Diocese of San Carlos."

                The medical services include the medical consultation, dental examination and minor surgery (e.i. Circumcision and removal of the cist), eye examination and medicine prescription.  From Day 1 of the week-long mission, the venue was already congested and busy.

"The medical mission and services as well as the mission at the damaged towns in Negros Oriental are in response with the theme of Silver anniversary of the Diocese, "People of Hope, One in Faith, Serving in Love." said Fr. Laude.