|
Palma to be installed Archbishop of Palo
PALO, Leyte—The Archdiocese of Palo will mark another important milestone in its history, a Church official here said.
His Excellency the Most Reverend Jose S. Palma will officially assume his new role as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Palo on May 2, 2006.
Palma succeeds Archbishop Pedro Dean who in February 21, 2005 reached the canonical age of retirement at 75 and whose resignation was approved by Pope Benedict XVI on March 18, 2006.
Msgr. Ramon B. Aguillos, media liaison of the Palo Archdiocese, said that the liturgy of the canonical installation will be rich in symbolism and tradition.
"From the symbols of a bishop's office to the rite of installation itself, every sign and moment continues the sacred tradition of the Catholic Church," he said.
He said the celebration will draw the faithful into prayer and contemplation as they pray for Palma who will receive the canonical possession of the said archdiocese.
During the installation ceremony at the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral at 10:00 o'clock in the morning of May 2, 2006, the official decree announcing Palma's appointment will be read.
Once the decree has been read, the chancellor will present it to the priests and the faithful. The chancellor of the archdiocese will be the one who will record the event in the archives of the curia.
Then the Apostolic Nuncio, if present, together with the outgoing archbishop, will install Palma in his chair (cathedra) to take his place as the new shepherd to lead his flock.
"When he is seated in the chair, Palma formally takes up his role of shepherd of the Lord's Flock in the Archdiocese of Palo," Aguillos said.
Palma, 56, will be the third archbishop ever since the ecclesiastical see of Palo was elevated to an archdiocese in 1982.
The said archdiocese has a catholic population of around 1.3 million, 52 parishes, 144 diocesan and religious priests and 130 women religious.
Palma is a native of Dingle, Iloilo. He was ordained priest in 1976 and became bishop for the diocese of Calbayog in 1998.
He earned his Licentiate degree in Sacred Theology at the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary. He also studied
He also holds a doctorate in theology from Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, the Dominican's famous pontifical institute. (28 April 2006)
|
