Fr. Avelito John Burgos is the first Cebuano priest who completed a Licentiate in Composition of Sacred Music. | Contributed Photo: Arkeen Larisma
The death of musical virtuoso Monsignor Rodolfo Escalona Villanueva on May 23, 2024, left an empty space in the heart of the Archdiocese of Cebu, particularly in the seminary.
His passing marked the end of an era, but his contributions to liturgical music will forever be sung.
Yet, if there is an end, there is also a beginning.
Enter Reverend Father Avelito John Burgos, a Cebuano diocesan priest, who may continue the legacy of the great monsignor Villanueva.
After eight years of dedicated study, Fr. Burgos earned his bachelor’s and licentiate degrees in liturgical music at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome in 2024.
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What makes Fr. Burgos special is that he holds the distinction of being the only Cebuano priest to have completed a degree in liturgical music. The last Filipino priest to achieve the same was the late Fr. Bong Panganiban from Lipa, Batangas.
Asked about the importance of sacred music in today’s secular world, this is what Fr. Burgos said:
“Music in the liturgy allows for the message to penetrate directly to the heart.”
He added, quoting the words of Saint John Paul II, “The heart of believers (singers) reaches the heart of other believers.”
Trio in G Major
As a tool for evangelization, he said “music bridges differences, unites, and transcends boundaries.”
On September 26, 2024, at the San Carlos Seminary College, Fr. Burgos performed an original piece, Trio in G Major in two movements andante and adagio, which he composed just two weeks prior to the recital.
The event was dubbed “Saggio,” an R. Villanueva Musical Essay of a Life, which was organized to honor the life of the late monsignor.
Despite the rush, Fr. Burgos created a beautiful melody, which followed the form of classical music and was accompanied by a violin and a cello.
The Trio in G Major is a musical essay on the musical legacy of Monsignor Villanueva, which was inspired by his music. Some are direct quotes of his works.
Fr. Burgos, the younger years
Fr. Burgos started learning music when he was still in elementary school, and his talent further developed when he entered Pope John XXIII Minor Seminary for his secondary education.
Fr. Burgos fondly recalled that in his toddler years, he enjoyed playing with a toy keyboard and constructing chords on it. With this observation, his mother sent him to a local piano teacher in Pinamungajan town, southwestern Cebu.
He added that he studied under different teachers during those years. But in college, he was under the instruction of none other than Monsignor Villanueva.
While at San Carlos Seminary College in Mabolo, Fr. Burgos took on the responsibility of assistant music director.
At present, Fr. Burgos is serving as one of the assigned priests at the college seminary, responsible for the initial formation of future priests in the Archdiocese of Cebu.
As a seminary father, he also teaches music classes in the seminary, and in the archdiocese, he conducts seminars on liturgical music.
Fr. Burgos completed his formal studies in theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, earning a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 2012, and was ordained a priest on December 27, 2012.