His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal celebrates 51 years of service to the Lord as a priest
Mar 15, 2007
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Jamin Cardinal Vidal is celebrating 51st anniversary of his sacerdotal ordination.
(Tempo, March 16, 2007) Born on February 6, 1931, in Mogpog, Marinduque, Cardinal Vidal completed his early studies at the Minor Seminary of the Most Holy Rosary (now Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) in Sariaya, Quezon. He studied Philosophy at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary in Lipa City and then Theology at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City.
He was ordained as a deacon on September 24, 1955, and as a priest on March 17, 1956, at the St. Ferdinand Cathedral, Lucena City. He was named the assistant parish priest of Mogpog and, at the same time, formator and professor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Seminary in Lucena City. From 1957 to 1965, he was spiritual director at the Major and Minor Seminaries in the Diocese of Lucena. From 1965 to 1971, he served as rector of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Seminary.
He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Malolos in September, 1971, then Archbishop of Lipa during the Feast of the Queenship of Mary on August 22, 1973. In 1981, he was appointed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Cebu, with the position of Vicar General of the Archdiocese and parish priest of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. He was installed Archbishop of Cebu on September 18, 1982, and was proclaimed as the fifth Filipino Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in the Consistory on May 25, 1985.
Cardinal Vidal has held several religious positions, including president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, chairman of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on the Clergy, and convenor of the Standing Committee of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. In the Roman Curia, he is a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for Catholic Education, and the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers.
He has been conferred honorary doctorates by the University of Santo Tomas, the Manuel S. Enverga Foundation University, Ateneo de Manila University, and San Carlos University. Among his awards are Ecclesiastical Papal Chaplain in 1969, Outstanding Filipino Award in 1998, Rizal Peace Award in 2002, and the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Bailiff Grand Cross of Honor and Devotion in 2002. Since 2000, he has been President of the Pontifico Colegio Filipino, a home in Rome for Filipino diocesan priests sent abroad by their bishops to pursue higher ecclesiastical studies.
In 2005, Cardinal Vidal participated in the papal conclave which selected Pope Benedict XVI as the successor of Pope John Paul II. In 2006, upon reaching retirement age, he tendered his resignation as Archbishop of Cebu but it was declined by Pope Benedict XVI, who personally invited Cardinal Vidal to continue his apostolic work.
We congratulate His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of his priesthood and pray for many more years of good health so he can carry on his pastoral service and continue to share his spiritual gifts with the people of the whole Philippines.
His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal celebrates 51 years of service to the Lord as a priest