Rufino Sescon

Last updated


Rufino C. Sescon, Jr.

OP
Bishop-elect of Balanga
Rufino C. Sescon Jr.png
Church Catholic Church
Province San Fernando
See Balanga
AppointedDecember 3, 2024
InstalledMarch 1, 2025
Predecessor Ruperto Santos
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationSeptember 19, 1998
by  Jaime Sin
ConsecrationFebruary 25, 2025
by  Socrates Villegas
Personal details
Born (1972-04-20) April 20, 1972 (age 52)
Manila, Philippines
Nationality Filipino
Alma mater
MottoGratia
('Everything is a grace', St. Thérèse of Lisieux) [1]
Ordination history
History
Diaconal ordination
Ordained by Jaime Sin
DateMarch 21, 1998
Priestly ordination
Ordained byJaime Sin
DateSeptember 19, 1998
Place Manila Cathedral
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecrator Socrates Villegas
Co-consecrators
DateFebruary 25, 2025
PlaceManila Cathedral
Styles of
Rufino Sescon, Jr.
Coat of Arms of Bishop Jun Sescon GRATIA.png
Coat of Arms of His Excellency, Rufino C. Sescon Jr. as Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Bishop

Rufino "Jun" Coronel Sescon Jr. OP (born April 20, 1972) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church and a professed member of the Dominican Order. He is the bishop-elect of Balanga, having been appointed by Pope Francis in 2024.

Contents

Ordained to the priesthood in 1998, Sescon served as the personal secretary of Jaime Cardinal Sin. He eventually rose to become one of the Philippines' most prominent preachers throughout his tenure as rector of Quiapo Church. [2] He is also the Executive Director of the Catholic Mass Media Awards and a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. [3]

Early life and education

Rufino Coronel Sescon Jr. was born on April 20, 1972, in Manila, Philippines. [4] An alumnus of Colegio de San Juan de Letran, [2] he then studied philosophy and theology in San Carlos Seminary, where he obtained master's degrees in both disciplines. [4]

Ministry

Diaconate and priesthood

Sescon was ordained to the diaconate on March 21, 1998, by Jaime Cardinal Sin, then-Archbishop of Manila. He was then subsequently assigned as the parish deacon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in Santa Mesa, Manila, as well as the financial officer of the Sta. Mesa Parochial School, now known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School. [5]

On September 19, 1998, Sescon was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Sin. [6] He then served as Sin's assistant secretary, and later, his personal secretary from 2001 (when Socrates Villegas, Sin's former secretary, became auxiliary bishop of Manila) until his death in 2005. [7] In 2005, he was named chaplain of the Santo Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel in Makati. [2] He also served as chancellor of the Archdiocese of Manila from 2008 to 2015, as well as the administrator of the Archbishop's Palace (Cardinal Sin's former residence) in Villa San Miguel, Mandaluyong. [8] In 2014, he was appointed priest-in-charge of Mary Mother of Hope Chapel at Landmark Makati. On September 28, 2020, he joined the Order of Preachers. [9] His last pastoral assignment as priest was at Quiapo Church, when he was appointed by Archbishop Jose Advincula as its rector and parish priest in 2022. [10] He also served as a member of the archdiocese's presbyteral council. [6] [10]

Sescon was instrumental in elevating Quiapo Church as a national shrine in a process that took five months from the start of its application in February 2023 to the approval of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in July. [8] [11] Under his pastoral leadership, the Feast of Jesús Nazareno, once a parochial feast in Quiapo, was celebrated in all Philippine dioceses for the first time in 2025. [12] [13]

Episcopate

On December 3, 2024, Pope Francis appointed Sescon as the fifth Bishop of Balanga, succeeding Ruperto Santos, who vacated the diocese in 2023 in preparation for his new position as Bishop of Antipolo. [7] Shortly after the announcement of his appointment, he visited the tomb of the late Cardinal Sin at the crypt of the Manila Cathedral. [2] His episcopal ordination is set to take place on February 25, 2025, the thirty-ninth anniversary of the People Power Revolution, he will ordained by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas (Sescon very close friend) as his principal consecrator, Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos and Cubao Bishop-emeritus Honesto Ongtioco as his co-consecrators, at the Manila Cathedral. [14] Meanwhile, his canonical installation is expected to be held on March 1, at the Cathedral-Shrine of Saint Joseph in Balanga, Bataan. [15]

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References

  1. Pelaco, Arnel (February 1, 2025). "Ordination ni Bishop-elect Rufino Sescon Jr., plantsado na". Veritas PH. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Esmaquel, Paterno II (December 4, 2024). "Faith 101: Who is Jun Sescon, new bishop of Balanga in Bataan?". Rappler. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  3. "Pope Francis Appoints Quiapo Rector as New Bishop of Balanga". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila . December 3, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Resignations and Appointments" (PDF). Holy See Press Office. December 3, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  5. Ocampo, Joel V. (December 23, 2024). "Fr. Jun ng Quiapo, Now the Bishop-Elect of Balanga". Dominus Est. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Bishop Rufino Coronel Sescon Jr". UCA News. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Lagarde, Roy (December 3, 2024). "Quiapo Church rector is new Balanga bishop". CBCP News. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Quiapo church rector appointed as new Balanga diocese bishop". GMA Integrated News. December 3, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  9. "PHILIPPINES | Philippine Province Receives Profession of 12 New Members". sacerdotes.op.org. September 28, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Lagarde, Roy (December 5, 2024). "New Balanga bishop says appointment was unexpected". CBCP News. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  11. "The Gift of Shrinehood of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno". Quiapo Church . March 17, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  12. Rita, Joviland (January 3, 2025). "Jesus Nazareno feast to be celebrated nationwide for the first time — Quiapo Church official". GMA Integrated News. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  13. Lagarde, Roy (January 9, 2024). "Manila archdiocese asks Vatican to designate Jan. 9 as nat'l feast of the Black Nazarene". CBCP News. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  14. Patinio, Ferdinand (February 1, 2025). "Balanga's new bishop to be ordained Feb. 25". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  15. "New bishop to be ordained for Balanga diocese". CBCP News. January 12, 2025. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Pericles Fajardo
Chaplain of Santo Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel
2005–2022
Succeeded by
David Concepcion
as Mission Station Priest of Santo Niño de Paz Mission Station
New title Chaplain of Mary Mother of Hope Chapel, Makati
2014–2022
Succeeded by
Reginald Malicdem
as Mission Station Priest of Mary Mother of Hope Mission Station
Preceded by
Hernando Coronel
Rector of Quiapo Church
2022–present
Succeeded by
Ramon Jade Licuanan
Preceded by Bishop of Balanga
March 1, 2025–
Incumbent