Davao diocese warns of fake priest celebrating Mass

DAVAO CITY , Philippines  – The Davao diocesan clergy has warned its constituents of an alleged fake priest who was able to celebrate a number of Holy Masses in various parishes in the city.

In a report in the Davao Catholic Herald, the alleged fake priest reportedly using the name Fr. Ricky or Richard Reyes, could still be around in the area and would continue to dupe parishioners that he is a member of the clergy.

Reyes’ modus operandi reportedly involves his approaching the parish priest in an area and then he introduces himself as a member of a certain religious congregation.

Reyes would then proceed to ask that he be allowed to celebrate Mass in the parish.

Allegedly, he was even able to be one of the priests in a concelebrated Mass headed by former Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president and Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla on Dec. 27 during the parochial fiesta of the Holy Family parish.

In the same report, Fr. Henry Campeon, parish priest of Holy Family Parish in Barangay Baliok, Talomo district here, said that Reyes even got his stole and vestment without his permission.

Reyes allegedly has been using Campeon’s stole and vestment in introducing himself as a priest.

Campeon said that Reyes attempted to again celebrate Mass on Dec. 31 at the Holy Family Parish but failed to present the required ‘Celebret’ that would have allowed him to celebrate Mass in a parish other than his own.

Campeon realized then that Reyes was a fraud and that he was not really a priest since he did not know anything about ‘Celebret’ which is usually signed by a bishop and properly sealed.

There were also several instances that Reyes was reported to have presented himself in other parishes, including the Sta. Ana parish where he claimed he was a member of the Passionist priests serving in General Santos City. But a check with the Passionist Order proved there was no Fr. Richard Reyes.