“Grow in your love for God”
Archbishop’s birthday wish
ON the occasion of his 51st birthday Wednesday, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese had one wish for his fellow priests: for them to grow in their love for God.
“Father Soc”, as he is fondly called, said the priest’s growing love for God will flow throughout God’s people.
“I believe the holiness of priests will always cascade with the holiness of the people of God,” he said.
Well-wishers kept arriving at the Archbishop’s palace despite storm signal no. 3 on Tuesday.
Father Soc said natural calamities are things that people cannot control but can face with preparedness.
“Even if we cannot control the calamities coming forth, we can be pro-active and better prepared,” he said.
He added that calamities give people the opportunity to be sensitive to the needs of their less fortunate brothers and sisters as well as the chance to examine themselves as floods are really “human sins”.
“We have abused Mother Nature that is why we are suffering from the abuses of the past,” he explained.
Villegas was ordained as a priest at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Manila on October 5, 1985.
He received his appointment from Pope Benedict XVI as head of the Lingayen- Dagupan diocese on Sept 8, 2009, replacing retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz.
A recipient of the of the 1994 Catholic Authors Award, he was also cited as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines in 2000.
Villegas is widely known to be close to the Aquino family being a friend of the late President Corazon Aquino and the celebration of his 25 years in priesthood last year was attended by presidential sisters Ballsy, Pinky, Viel and Kris Aquino.
Only two years in the province, Villegas recently spearheaded a choral competition using songs in the Pangasinan language titled ‘Project Sanengseng’. (Venus H. Sarmiento, PIA-Pangasinan)
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