Forty-eight years of service to the Lord
Mar 29, 2006
His eminence, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, was ordained into the priesthood on March 23, 1958, marking the fulfillment of a vocation that he had harbored since childhood. At the age of 8, Cardinal Rosales had articulated the desire to serve God in a priestly vocation. At the age of 15, he pursued this desire by entering the San Jose Minor Seminary.
(Tempo, March 23, 2006) After his ordination, Cardinal Rosales got his first assignment as a Parish Priest of San Vicente, Banay-banay, Lipa City, serving there from 1970 to 1972. From there, he was assigned as Parish Priest of the Immaculate Conception in Batangas City. In 1974, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Manila. He became National Director of the Pontifical Mission Aid Societies in 1975 and was the Asian delegate to Propaganda Fide in Rome in 1977. From 1980 to 1984, Cardinal Rosales served as Rector of the San Carlos Seminary in Makati. In 1984, he became the Bishop of Malaybalay. He was awarded the Priest Guard Forest award in 1991. He also became a permanent member of the Council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the Mindanao Region. In 1993, he was installed as Archbishop of Lipa, and in 1997, he was elected Vice President of the CBCP.
Cardinal Rosales took over the leadership of the Diocese of Manila from the late Jaime L. Cardinal Sin in 2003 and has been in the forefront of the Church’s campaign for justice and renewal. Of the many things he has done in the short time he has served as Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Rosales is most lauded for the Pondo ng Pinoy program which expands the campaign to alleviate poverty by involving all groups in putting in a rather small daily share of 25 centavos into a fund that is now being used for a number of development initiatives. Working within the theology of the crumbs, the Pondo ng Pinoy promises to be a sustainable campaign to mobilize resources for a number of pro-poor church initiatives.
All through his priesthood, Cardinal Rosales has been a friend of priests and a seasoned fighter against corruption and environment violators. As we celebrate his 48th year as a priest today, a day before he is installed as Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, we are indeed thankful that we have in our midst a most holy and dedicated servant of the Lord, His Eminence, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales.
Forty-eight years of service to the Lord