Cardinal Vidal marks today 35th year of his ordination
Nov 29, 2006
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, one of the most influential Catholic Church leaders in the country, is celebrating today the 35th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
(The Manila Bulletin, November 30, 2006) Vidal, who became bishop in 1971, is expected to be greeted by thousands of his parishioners and guests at the centuries-old Metropolitan Cathedral in Cebu City.
Among the Cardinal’s expected guests are Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Fernando Filoni and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President and Jaro (Iloilo) Archbishop Angel Lagdameo.
Aside from Filoni and Lagdameo, bishops from other dioceses, priests from the Cebu archdiocese, lay representatives from all Cebu parishes, and contingents from the archdiocese’s religious brothers and sisters and lay associates are also expected to greet the Cardinal.
The highlight of the celebration is a pontifical concelebrated mass at 5 p.m. today, to be officiated by the honoree himself with all the visiting bishops and priests of the archdiocese.
Also part of the celebration is the launching of his book "Cardinal Vidal Speaks to his Priests", a collection of his homilies and speeches.
Ordained priest in 1956, the 75-year-old prelate first served as a parish priest in his hometown in Mogpog, Marinduque.
After being appointed as bishop in 1971, he was later installed as archbishop of Lipa City in Batangas.
In 1981, he was named coadjutor archbishop of Cebu. He was formally installed as archbishop of Cebu City on Sept. 18, 1982.
It was in 1985 when Pope John Paul II appointed Vidal the fifth Filipino cardinal. He also became the president of the CBCP from 1986 to 1987 and served as chairman of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on the Clergy (ECC) in 1989.
Vidal also serves as the president of the Pontificio Colegio Filipino (PCF), a home in Rome of Filipino diocesan priests who have been sent abroad by their bishops to pursue higher ecclesiastical studies.
Among the many awards that he received are: The Outstanding Filipino Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1998, and the Rizal Peace Award in 2002.
Cardinal Vidal marks today 35th year of his ordination