BALANGA CITY – From the Diocese of Balanga to the Diocese of Antipolo where he was appointed by Pope Francis last April 24 and will be installed on July 22, Bishop Ruperto C. Santos bid his farewell to his former see recently.
The 65-year-old prelate from Bulacan assumed the Bataan bishopric on July 8, 2010 after his appointment on April 1, 2010 and consecration on June 24, 2010. He was former chairman, now vice chair, of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
He is also busy helping Filipino seafarers as Bishop Promoter of Stella Maris – Philippines.
Santos who was ordained priest by the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin on Sept. 10, 1985 succeeded present Lingayen–Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas as bishop of the Diocese of Balanga.
He serves on July 16, 2023 his last Holy Mass in Bataan at the Bahay Puso in Balanga City which is the Diocesan Home for the aged and abandoned.
As he prepares to leave for his new assignment, he invited everyone to take a last look on his 12 years as Bataan prelate.
Santos said that every journey comes to an end and when it does, each of us should be leaving a legacy. “It is like painting the portrait of our lives behind for others to reflect on. The question is what kind of legacy are we leaving behind?”
He said that together, different challenges and trials have been overcome and the willingness of Bataenos to help has always given him a great deal of inspiration. “Your readiness to reach out was a gift of encouragement to me in many trying times. In life, we will encounter many transitions. As I take on a new assignment, please know that I will forever hold you dearly in my heart.”
Three important points he shared with his flock: permanence, presence, and prominence.
First, when we love and care for someone, we want permanence. We want something permanent to constantly remind us of the one that we love. We want to make, build, or create something permanent that will be a manifestation of our love. A tangible representation of our faithfulness and commitment. A constant reminder that his love will stand the test of time.
Just like between husband and wife, the husband provides the house where the family will grow and settle. It is the place where God dominates with each family member.
Santos said that all have worked diligently together when the structures that he is leaving behind were built: the National Shrine of the Parish Church of Saint John Paul II in Culis, Hermosa; the Virgen Milagrosa College Seminary in Balanga City; Residencia Sacerdotal Diocesan Retirement Homes; the Cancelleria Diocesana de Balang;, the renovated Bahay Puso which is the Diocesan Home for the Aged; the newly-built Diocesan Clinica de San Jose; and the Cathedral Shrine’s Rectory and Sacristy with its fence and patio.
“These buildings are important not only for their physical beauty but more so for their purpose and function in prayer, worship and evangelism,’’ he said.
Second, when we love and care for someone, we always want our presence felt. He compared it to working overseas or the one we love is living far away.
We want to read text messages or emails from them so we will always feel their presence, so that we will always be encouraged and so that our longing hearts will be filled with joy. Those texts or emails, he said, are constant reminders that even though they are not beside us, we are connected and they have not forgotten us.
He recalled working and fervently praying together with Bataenos through the days of calamities and the years of pandemic. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he said, gave him the wisdom to write prayers and pastoral reflections.
It is his wish that the faithful may continue to be refreshed and renewed by these prayers that will serve as spiritual companion in his physical absence. These, he said, brings fulfillment to him knowing those will sustain members of the diocese in their journey of faith.
He said he prayed together with Bataenos with the series of pastoral letters against calamities like the red tide, monsoon rains and typhoons. They prayed as one through pastoral letters and prayers during Taal and Mayon eruptions and for migrants and seafarers.
He issued 40 pastoral prayers during the Covid-19 pandemic. These prayers, he said, are his love letters to the people, the voices of love to God.
“We reflected and move as one with our diocesan pastoral statements and letters about Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, against mining, gambling and the establishment of garbage pits in Bataan,” the bishop noted.
“Our voices were projected on pastoral statements and letters. They are our prayers and reflections of concern for our people. Yes, we care for the environment. It is the call of the Diocese of Balanga, our Church to nourish our love for Bataan. Let us constantly pray for one another. Let us be one in prayer. Let us be one for Bataan, pointing primarily to God and putting our people first,” Santos furthered.
For the future of children, the diocese has not forgotten the educational aspect. It has reconstructed the diocesan schools of Saint Michael de Archangel in Orion and Saint Peter of Varona in Hermosa.
It has likewise established the secondary level of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in Mariveles and constructed its new buildings and created the high school and completed it as Our Lady of the Pillar Parochial School in Morong.
Lots were bought and annex buildings built for Saint John Academy in Dinalupihan. It was also with this dream, the bishop said, that Saint Catherine of Siena in Samal was actualized with the expansion and construction of another building.
The diocese has now newly-constructed Saint Peter of Varona Academy covered court and gymnasium and Collegio Catalina de Alexandria in Bagac.
Santos said his love for the Church remains with an “ever-present, long and lasting love.”
“To foster a brighter future and improvement of life, we have founded the Diocesis de Balanga Multi-Purpose Credit Cooperative, the Santeria Religious Store and Sower’s Printing Press. To maintain its permanency, we formed the Obispado de Balanga Bahay Puso Foundation and Diocesan Schools of Bataan Educational Foundation, Incorporated,” he said.
Lastly, Santos said, when we love and care for someone, we want them to rise in prominence. When we are so proud of the one that we love and care about, we want to make them known.
He likened it to the relationship of parents to their children. The parents, he said, will do everything for the children to succeed and make sure that their children are equipped so they will reach their goals and go places.
“As I head to close the chapter of being your spiritual father here in Bataan, my heart is full. I am beaming with blessings not only from relationships and partnerships formed but also even now from such a gracious parting. As I take a last look, I know that it is with God’s never-ending kindness and mercy along with your faith that Bataan is more well-known,” the prelate said.
Santos said that aside from its fast-growing economy, Bataan has now become the center of pilgrimage due to places like Sanctuario Diocesano de la Sagrada Familia in Tala, Orani; National Shrine and Parish Church of Saint John Paul II in Culis, Hermosa; the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary in Orani; the Monte de Piedad Diocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy in Abucay; and the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Pillar in Pilar.
Parishes elevated to diocesan shrines are the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Balanga, Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Bagac, San Roque in Lamao, Limay and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in Mariveles that contributed to making Bataan known to many far and wide, he said.
In conclusion, Santos thanked each and every member of his diocese for all their goodness and unwavering support. “I am deeply grateful for your service, I am leaving confidently that you will continue to welcome the opportunity to learn from, to grow with, and to give to our beloved Diocese of Balanga.”
