Canonical installation of new Lingayen archbishop set

DAGUPAN CITY , Philippines  – Tarpaulins welcoming him are hung in front of Catholic churchyards in Pangasinan while preparations are now in full swing for the Canonical installation of Bishop Socrates Villegas as the new archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese on Nov. 4.

Auxiliary Bishop Renato Mayugba, who is in charge of the preparations for this very significant event told The STAR yesterday the rites will be presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio on Nov. 4 at the St. John The Evangelist Parish Church this city.

Mayugba said 69 bishops around the country plus Cardinals Gaudencio Rosales and Ricardo Vidal and Papal Nuncio Edward Joseph Adams who had confirmed their attendance.

“So this is a very big event in that sense because that is more than one half of the bishops in the Philippines coming,” Mayugba said. 

About 3,000 guests, mostly priests, nuns, seminarians, Church leaders and other invited personalities are expected to witness this event. 

Mayugba said this Canonical installation “signifies the changing of the guards in common parlance” after Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz’ retirement had been approved on Sept. 8 by the Vatican.

Cruz served the archdiocese for 18 years when he was appointed archbishop here in 1991.

Villegas who was the bishop of Balanga until he was appointed to replace Cruz, is the fifth archbishop of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese. He is the country’s youngest archbishop at the age of 49. 

The first part of the ceremonies will be the reception where Villegas will be received by the priests and bishops at the St. John Metropolitan Cathedral to be immediately followed by the installation rites proper to be presided over by the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines that will last about 20 to 30 minutes at the adjacent St. John The Evangelist Parish Church. Then the Mass continues.