Pope Francis has appointed an LST Alumnus, Fr. Midyphil Billones, as auxiliary bishop of Cebu.
“Fr. Dodong”, then a seminarian of San Jose Seminary from the Archdiocese of Jaro, obtained his Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology degree from Fujen Catholic University (with which LST was then affiliated) on 12 October 1994. His STB Paper was entitled, “Empathy: A Gift to be Rediscovered, A Gift to be Developed”. As a fourth year theologian, he passed the Ad Audiendas Confessiones Examination and on 4 February 1995, he completed his Oral Comprehensive Examination in Theology with the distinction of “Magna Cum Laude”.
As auxiliary bishop, he will assist Archbishop Jose Palma in running the largest archdiocese in the country and in Asia, having the most number of Catholics, priests, religious and seminarians.
Billones’ appointment, which assigns him to the Titular See of Tagarata, was made public on 16 July 2019, Tuesday, by the Vatican. His appointment also came two months after Palma’s lone auxiliary bishop Dennis Villarojo was named the new bishop of Malolos.
The bishop-elect is currently the Rector of St. Joseph Regional Seminary in Iloilo City.
Billones, who just turned 50 years old on July 4, is a native of Panay, in Capiz province.
He took his Philosophy at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Iloilo City. After theological studies at LST and Ateneo de Manila University, Billones was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Jaro on Oct. 2, 1995.
For two years after his ordination, he served as parochial vicar at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral. From 1997 to 2001, the priest also served as personal secretary, first to the late Archbishop Jover Piamonte and then to retired Archbishop Angel Lagdameo. He was also a member of the Presbyteral Council, Vice-Chancellor, and head of the archdiocese’s Commission for Youth.
In 2011, he obtained his Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. After returning from his studies in Rome, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor and Director of Human Formation at St. Joseph Regional Seminary in Jaro, later becoming its Rector. Since 2013, he has also headed the archdiocese’s Commission on the Laity. https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/pope-names-iloilo-priest-as-cebu-auxiliary-bishop/
