The Episcopal Ordination and Installation of Bp. Herman Abcede, RCJ in Daet

          Last May 1, I had the privilege of attending the episcopal ordination and installation of the new bishop of Daet, Most Rev. Herman Abcede, RCJ. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon, the former bishop of Daet and now the archbishop of Caceres. Coincidentally, Fr. Anthony Timoner, who had been serving as the diocesan administrator of Daet, was also recently appointed bishop of Pagadian.

Following the ordination rites, I took the opportunity to visit the last two towns in Camarines Norte that I had not yet seen during my previous tour of the province in 2018.

The first stop was San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first and only municipality in the Philippines named after the first Filipino saint. Originally established as the municipality of Imelda in 1970, it was officially renamed San Lorenzo Ruiz on February 10, 1989, two years after the canonization of the saint in 1987. Located just about 15 kilometers west of Daet, the town holds a special distinction in both civil and ecclesiastical history.

We then proceeded to the town of San Vicente, located north of and almost parallel to San Lorenzo Ruiz. However, since there is no direct road connecting the two towns, we had to return to Daet and take a different route to reach it.

At the episcopal ordination, I had the chance to reconnect with Fr. Mark Sagrado, a Piarist priest whom I had known since his ordination. One of his fellow ordinands was from Ormoc City, where I was then serving as parish priest. I vividly remember Fr. Mark attending the thanksgiving Mass of his contemporary in Ormoc. Upon learning that he was now assigned to San Vicente, I made sure to inform him that we would be visiting his parish later that afternoon. 

Bishop-elect Herman Abcede, RCJ making his Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity in the presence of Abp. Rex Andrew Alarcon, the previous bishop of Daet and now Archbishop of Caceres with Bishop-elect Anthony Timoner, the diocesan administrator of Daet looking on. 

The laying on of hands by Abp. Alarcon. 

San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila Parish
San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte

St. Vincent Ferrer Parish
San Vicente, Camarines Norte

With Fr. Mark Sagrado.

The miraculous statue of St. Vincent Ferrer, visited by pilgrims from near and far, is encased in glass on the left side of the altar.

I would say that the artwork of the altar is unique that I have not seen anywhere. 

CALAGUAS ISLANDS

       The Calaguas islands is a group of islands located in the province of Camarines Norte. It includes the major islands of Tinaga and Guintinua which belong to the town of Vinzons and the minor island of Maculabo which is part of Paracale. There are still several other small islands within the area.  But the well-known beach is on Tinaga Island called Mahabang Buhangin.  Undoubtedly, the crystal waters and the powdery white sand of Mahabang Buhangin can be classified as world class.  Because of its distance it is only fairly recent that a good number of resorts have started springing up on the island.  The travel time by boat is two hours from Paracale which is the usual port of departure. When we toured around the towns of Camarines Norte we made sure that we included Calaguas in the itinerary. We were able to rent a native cottage which was very much cheap compared to the other resorts for our overnight stay in the island.

 

My companions from the office during the trip.