Midyphil Billones
Midyphil B. Billones | |||||||||||||||||
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| Archbishop-designate of Jaro | |||||||||||||||||
| Church | Catholic Church | ||||||||||||||||
| Province | Jaro | ||||||||||||||||
| See | Jaro | ||||||||||||||||
| Appointed | February 2, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Jose Romeo Lazo | ||||||||||||||||
| Other post(s) |
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| Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu (2019–2025) | ||||||||||||||||
| Orders | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordination | October 2, 1995 by Alberto Jover Piamonte | ||||||||||||||||
| Consecration | August 27, 2019 by Jose Romeo Lazo | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | Midyphil Bermejo Billones July 4, 1969 | ||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater |
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| Motto | Domine tu omnia scis tu cognoscis quia amo te ('Lord, you know that I love you.' – John 21:15) | ||||||||||||||||
| Coat of arms |  | ||||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Styles of Midyphil B. Billones | |
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| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
Midyphil "Dodong" Bermejo Billones (born July 4, 1969) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the Archbishop-Designate of Jaro, having been appointed by Pope Francis in 2025.
Early life and education
[edit]Midyphil Bermejo Billones was born on July 4, 1969, in Panay,[1] Capiz, Philippines.[2]
He studied philosophy at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Iloilo City, then obtained a master's degree in theology at Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City.[3] In 2011, during his tenure as priest of the Archdiocese of Jaro, he obtained his Doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.[3]
Ministry
[edit]Priesthood
[edit]Billones was ordained to the priesthood on October 2, 1995. He then served as parochial vicar of Jaro Cathedral until 1997.[4] He also served as the personal secretaries of former archbishops Alberto Jover Piamonte and Angel Lagdameo from 1997 to 2001.[3]
Within the Archdiocese of Jaro, he was a member of its presbyteral council from 2000 to 2001, as well as the archdiocese's chancellor until 2004.[3] He was also vice-rector of the St. Joseph Regional Seminary in Iloilo City.[4]
Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu
[edit]On July 16, 2019, Pope Francis named Billones auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Cebu and titular bishop of Tagarata. His appointment made him an assistant of Archbishop José S. Palma.[2][3] He was ordained to the episcopate at Jaro Cathedral on August 27,[5] and was welcomed in a reception Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on September 26.[6]
Within the Archdiocese of Cebu, he became a member of the archdiocese's Council of Consultors in 2019. He was also the moderator of the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue, Cebu.[4]
On November 21, 2019, in one of his homilies, Billones admitted and "confessed" to almost losing his faith but eventually rediscovering it. He admitted that when his mother passed away in 2013, he stopped praying the Rosary because "Mary left my mom". He further said that he was "doubting" on his priestly vocation due to grief and depression. However, while trapped in the middle of Metro Manila's heavy traffic jams, he rediscovered his faith when he saw a poster of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which led him to become emotional. He then said in his homily that he experienced the "grace of healing", which further motivated him to start praying again.[7]
Within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), he is a member of the conference's Commission on Doctrine of the Faith, and Commission on Seminaries.[4]
Archbishop of Jaro
[edit]On February 2, 2025, Pope Francis appointed Billones as the fourteenth Archbishop of Jaro. He succeeded Jose Romeo Lazo, who resigned a year after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. His appointment coincided with Candlemas.[1]
See also
[edit]- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines
References
[edit]- ^ a b Yap, Tara (February 2, 2025). "Pope appoints Billones as new Jaro archbishop". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ a b Lagarde, Roy (July 16, 2019). "Pope names Iloilo priest as Cebu auxiliary bishop". CBCP News. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Iloilo priest named new Cebu auxiliary bishop". SunStar. July 17, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Rinuncia e nomina dell'Arcivescovo Metropolita di Jaro (Filippine)". vatican.va (in Italian). February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ Lagarde, Roy (February 2, 2025). "Bishop Billones returns to Jaro as its new archbishop". CBCP News. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ Letigio, Delta Dyrecka (September 26, 2019). "Who is Bishop Midyphil "Dodong" Billones?". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ Lagarde, Roy (November 27, 2019). "How a Filipino bishop lost, then rediscovered his faith". LiCAS.news. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
External links
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