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TAGUDIN, Ilocos Sur: Relatives of the late Bishop Alfredo Florentin
Verzosa, who served as bishop of Lipa, Batangas, sought the
beatification of their late kin in recognition of his holy deeds to
the people and faithful service to the Catholic Church, reported the
Philippine News Agency.
Verzosa, the first Ilocano bishop, was a witness
to the alleged miraculous “shower of rose petals” at the
Carmelite Monastery garden in Lipa, Batangas, in 1948.
The Verzosa clan, who held a national grand
reunion on June 27 in Vigan City, coinciding with the 54th death
anniversary of the late bishop, started the initiative that could
hopefully lead to his beatification.
The Verzosa clan, led by Police Deputy Director
Gen. Jesus Verzosa, Mayor Roque “Jun” Verzosa of Tagudin and
Mayor Michael Farinas of Laoag City, vowed to finalize the evidence
supporting the preliminaries for beatification and sainthood of the
late prelate.
General Verzosa and Mayor Verzosa were grandsons
of the late bishop as their grandfather was the bishop’s brother.
Mayor Verzosa said that it is high time that
their relatives must support, promote and cooperate so that the good
deeds of Bishop Verzosa in service to people would be recognized.
“In this 54th death anniversary of Bishop
Verzosa, our maiden grand reunion, could help the Congregation of
the Missionary Catechist of Sacred Heart provide the proper evidence
in support of the application process for the sainthood of the late
prelate, hopefully first son of Ilocandia to become a saint,”
Mayor Verzosa said.
The congregation of the Missionary Cathechist of
Sacred Heart was founded in 1923 by Bishop Verzosa as the first
Ilocano bishop of Lipa from September 6, 1916, to February 25, 1951.
On the other hand, General Verzosa said their
gathering sought to establish the linkages of members of their clan
so that they could unite in the campaign that could lead to the
beatification and sainthood of late Bishop Verzosa.
“Bishop Verzosa was the most prominent member
of our clan. I really believe that he always guided the Verzosa
family through all the times,” the Police Deputy Director General
said.
During the concelebrated mass officiated by
Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales at the Vigan Cathedral, he cited Bishop
Verzosa in his homily as a “Holy Man” because of his good traits
and attitude towards God and the people.
Rev. Fr. Erickson Josue, assigned parish priest
of Batac, Ilocos Norte, admitted having discovered the story about
the late Bishop Verzosa being one of the key personalities in the
famous Lipa apparitions.
Citing the late prelate as a man of mission,
Josue said “Bishop Verzosa was distinguished for his missionary
seal as he did not hesitate to go to the farthest barrio to do a lot
of things for the church and the people.
In his research, Josue found that the late
Bishop Verzosa, as bishop of Lipa, had a personal encounter with
miracles.
“When the alleged miracle became a sensational
issue, he had to go to the monastery to tell to the nuns to turn
down the issue but as he was entering the monastery, he was greeted
by the phenomenon, “the shower of rose petals,” Josue narrated.
The beatification of Bishop Verzosa is long
overdue since the evidence seeking the beatification of his
auxilliary bishop, Bishop Alfredo Obviar, had been earlier submitted
to the Holy See, continued Josue.
Verzosa and Obviar both believed on the Lipa
apparitions in 1948.
“Actually, its not only the members of the
Verzosa clan who are pushing the beatification of Bishop Verzosa but
also missionaries from the Missionary of Catechist of Sacred Heart
headed by Sister Mary Jolie Micosa,” Josue said.
“These moves [on the beatification of Bishop
Verzosa] are still preliminaries because it is only Bishop Ernesto
Salgado, Archbishop of the Nueva Segovia, who can open it and order
an investigation,” he said.
“Bishop Salgado can make a petition to the
Holy See to give him the authorization to open a tribunal to do an
investigation into the heroics and holiness of late Bishop Verzosa,”
Josue explained.
However, Salgado said, “it is the rule of the
church that the bishop of the place where Bishop Verzosa came from
is the proper person who can start the process leading to
beatification.”
“That’s the reason for the celebration and
reunion of the Verzosa clan—to further inform the people about the
life of Bishop Verzosa—afterwards the process will go on. Who
knows, we may be able to introduce his beatification to the Holy
See,” Salgado added.
The late Bishop Verzosa was born in Vigan on
December 9, 1877, to Alejandro Verzosa and Micaela Florentin. At age
27, he was ordained priest by Bishop Dennis Dougherty of Nueva
Segovia on December 24, 1904.
He first served as priest at the cathedral of
Vigan, and then moved to Santa and Bantay towns in Ilocos Sur. He
was appointed on September 6, 1916, as second bishop of Lipa. He
became full–pledged bishop on January 20, 1917, at the age of 39.
Bishop Verzosa retired as Bishop of Lipa,
Batangas on February 25, 1951. On the same date, he was also
appointed as Titular Bishop of Capas.
Bishop Verzosa died on June 27, 1954, at the age
of 76 as Bishop Emeritus of Lipa, Batangas.
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