Silver Jubliarian Priests mark their 25 years of priesthood with the launching of a book about priesthood — Ecce Sacerdos: Celebrating the Priesthood in 500 Years of Christianity.” | Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines — “What does it matter to be a priest?”
This was the question posed by Fr. Mike Raypan, one of the members of the Batch ’96 Priests of the Archdiocese of Cebu while reminiscing about their 25 years of being in the ministry.
In a world where there is an incongruity between priesthood and humanity, the role that members of the ministry play create an impact that affects the connection of reality and faith in the world.
Despite having this big of a responsibility, Raypan said that they were not more ordinary than every other human being.
“We are not supermen priests. We are fragile and so easily breakable. And many times, we have been broken,” he said.
This, along with many other learnings from the priesthood, is part of the message of the coffee table book, “Ecce Sacerdos: Celebrating the Priesthood in 500 Years of Christianity.”
Produced by the Archdiocese of Cebu Batch ’96 Priests, this souvenir book contains historical articles about the archdiocese and the priesthood and many reflections on priesthood.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma shows the “Ecce Sacerdos: Celebrating 500 years of Christianity,” which shares experiences of silver jubilarian priests. | Emmariel Ares
Archbishop of Cebu, Jose Palma, led the unveiling of the coffee table book at the launching event held at the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
With him were Fr. Ver Pedrano, Fr. Lyle Cono, Fr. Allan Delima, and Fr. Felipe Diacosta.
Other contributors to the book were also present during the event. In his speech, Palma expressed his gratitude to the Lord for the Silver Jubilarian Priests and the gift of the newly launched coffee table book.
“The book reveals the mystery of who we are, in our priesthood. And as it will be shared with the world, it will be set as a reminder of our promise to the ministry,” he said.
He said that putting Ecce Sacerdos and making it available to many “to pray for the gift of the priesthood is a wonderful contribution in the journey of solidarity.”
According to Raypan, the book provides a snapshot of the full picture of the priests’ experiences and memories of being in the ministry for 25 years, as well as musings on how the priesthood has shaped their lives.
Among the articles in the book are: “A Brief History of the Archdiocese of Cebu” by Dr. Jobers Bersales, “Priests who Love Musings of a Lay Friend” by Sheila Mae Jaso, and “What does it matter to be a Priest?” by Bishop Dennis Villarojo.
The contributors also include Msgr. Rudy Villanueva, Fr. Ramon Echica, Msgr. Joseph Tan, and Haidee Emmie Palapar.
The Batch ’96 Priests celebrated their 25th anniversary of priesthood last 2021, which coincided with the archdiocese’s celebration of the quincentennial anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.
The Silver Jubilarian Priests are: Fr. Lyle O. Cono, Fr. Felipe S. Diacosta, Fr. Allan P. Delima, Msgr. Arturo R. Navales, Fr. Nelson B. Ortizano, Fr. Virgilio Y. Pedrano, Fr. Edgar A. Quilo, Fr. Rizalino C. Raypan Jr., and Fr. Jesus B. Reyes. | Emmariel Ares and Niña Mae Oliverio – CDN Digital Interns
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