Priest forever

Yesterday the Diocese of Bacolod celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the sacerdotal ordination of Bishop Vicente M. Navarra. He was actually ordained on April 7 but since it was Good Saturday and no Mass can be celebrated this day except the Easter Vigil Mass in the evening, the commemoration of the Bishop’s ordination to the Order of the Holy Priesthood was marked yesterday with a Mass at 9:30 in the morning and a video presentation during lunch.

Let me share with you some vignettes in his life that were shown in that video which many, including myself did not know until the video revealed them.

His nickname is Nonong and at an early age his grandfather, Don Vito Lozada Navarra foretold that his grandson would be a bishop. Don Vito, a prominent man in his town of Mambusao, Capiz was a religious man so that his religiosity must have rubbed on grandson.

Nonong studied elementary education at Mambusao and proceeded to his high school at San Vicente Ferrer Seminary in Jaro, Iloilo where he also completed his Philosophy and Theology.

On April 7, 1962, Most Rev. Antonio Frondoza, Bishop of Capiz ordained Fr. Navarra together with three others to the Priesthood at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral.

The following day Fr. Navarra said his first Mass at the St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Sapi-an, Capiz and on April 25, his first Solemn High Mass of Thanksgiving at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Mambusao, which was in festive mood for two days for his reception, town parade and stage presentation. They were happy God had chosen one from among them to be a priest.

Mambusao was up at four in the morning as the town’s band went around the town in a Diana and at 6:30 a.m. fetched him for the 7:00 a.m. Mass.

He was assigned as Spiritual Director and Professor in the St. Pius X Seminary in Roxas City where he later became its Rector. Pope Paul VI conferred on him on July 19, 1975 the title of Papal Chaplain. In 1978, Msgr. Navarra was assigned Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish in Roxas City.

It was a short-lived parochial work because the following year, on May 2, he was pre-recognized as of Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Capiz and Titular Bishop of Velefi. The following month, on June 26 he was ordained Bishop and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Capiz.

On November 21, 1987 he was designated First Bishop Ordinary of the newly-created Diocese Kabankalan. Here he laid the foundations of the new diocese, constructed the Bishop’s House since the old parish convent that was converted to a Bishop’s House burned down, organized the diocesan curia and founded the Diocesan Little Way Seminary. He also convoked the First Diocesan Synod of Kabankalan.

After staying in Kabankalan for thirteen years, he was later appointed on September 2, 2000 as Apostolic Administrator of Bacolod which was vacated by the transfer of Bishop Camilo D. Gregorio to the Prelature of Batanes.

On May 24 the following year, he was pre-recognized as the Fifth Bishop of Bacolod and consequently on July 19, 2001 was installed Bishop of Bacolod.

In the Coat of Arms of Bishop Navarra is his motto, “ADSUM”, the Latin word which means “Here I am!” This word captures his generous response to his high calling as successor of the Apostles in an unbroken link to Christ. It is his acceptance of the challenges and struggles to unite the diocese and make it an effective instrument to spread God’s message It was the beginning of the Third Millennium and a new style of pastoral thrust.

The activities of Bishop Navarra in his eleven years as Bishop of Bacolod are well-known.

He convened the Second Diocesan Synod where the lay faithful took active parts. He led the Diocese in the Diamond Jubilee celebration, environmental concerns, the spirituality of the clergy, raised the Sacred Heart Seminary’s educational competence by offering the School of Philosophy, engaged more in social action programs, established Caritas Bacolod and took uncompromising stand on moral issues especially against the reproductive health plan of the government that would open the doors to contraception, abortion, and divorce.

His concern for the aged, retired and sick priests doubled efforts with Priest Care and now they are housed in a five-hectare complex in Silay City.

The diocesan thrust on social communications program resulted in active promotion of the programs and position of the Diocese on public issues. He revitalized the Diocesan radio station, DYAF, published a diocesan newspaper that is now going on its fifth year of uninterrupted weekly publication that today ADSUM is the most widely distributed weekly newspaper in the island of Negros.

Bishop Navarra had lived in what he described as “extolling the priesthood of Christ in me”, truly a priest forever.*

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