DAGUPAN CITY , Philippines – “In the name of God, by my authority, I, Edward Joseph Adams, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, do install you Socrates Metropolitan Archbishop in this Church of Lingayen-Dagupan. May our Lord Jesus Christ guard your going in from henceforth now and forever more.”
With these words, Adams officially installed Bishop Socrates Villegas as the new archbishop of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese yesterday during liturgical rites at the St. John the Evangelist Parish Church here.
Adams presented the crozier to Villegas, saying, “Our Holy Father the Pope has chosen you to be the shepherd of the people of the Church of Lingayen-Dagupan. With prayerful confidence and trust I hand to you the crozier as a sign of the shepherd’s office.”
“May the Lord sustain you, as you watch over the flock of this archdiocese to which the spirit has assigned you as archbishop to serve this church of God.”
After receiving the crozier, Villegas responded, “With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and with love of God in my heart, I accept the pastoral care of the people of God in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.”
“I resolve to serve faithfully the Church in this archdiocese,” Villegas added.
An estimated crowd of over 4,000, including more than half of the country’s bishops as well as Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, witnessed the installation rites.
Villegas, who succeeded Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, said there is so much to be thankful for.
Villegas, 49, Lingayen-Dagupan’s fifth archbishop and the youngest in the country at present, said, “I am here before you as one who serves. You are God’s precious gifts to me as I start my ministry here. God has indeed been so good.”
Villegas said the ways of God are mysterious and hard to comprehend. He recalled that 18 years ago, before Cruz was installed as archbishop here, Dagupan was struck by a powerful earthquake that left the city in shambles and the old cathedral church in ruins.
This year, the archdiocese was hit by massive flooding that wreaked havoc, too. Villegas said though that he believes the faith of Pangasinenses is strong and firm.
“I want to assure though it is not the archbishops who cause disasters to happen,” he said jokingly in his homily.
Using the word asin (salt) from which Pangasinan originated, Villegas exhorted the people, including priests, the laity and politicians, to be like “salt of the earth.”
He urged local government officials to “be the salt of livelihood and honest public service.”
“Spare the people from salty words of anger and malicious conduct that kill and destroy. Serve the people with honesty. Serve the people well. We can work together for the people,” he added. – With Evelyn Macairan