By CBCP News/ Manila, Philippines
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANTIPOLO CATHEDRAL
Bishop Ruperto Santos will be installed as the new shepherd of the Diocese of Antipolo on July 22.
As bishop, he will oversee one of the Church’s fast-growing diocese in the country, covering not just the city of Antipolo but the entire province of Rizal and Marikina City.
He will succeed Bishop Francisco De Leon, who resignation from the pastoral governance of the diocese was accepted by Pope Francis on May 24.
De Leon turned 75 in June last year, the age when bishops must submit their resignations to the pope. He will remain as the apostolic administrator of Antipolo until the day of the canonical possession by the new bishop.
Santos, 65, will be installed at a 10:00 a.m. Mass at the Antipolo Cathedral or the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
The incoming Antipolo bishop, who has been serving the Diocese of Balanga since July 2010, has asked for prayers as he takes on his new mission.
“Please help me with your prayers. Remember me always at the altar of our Lord. Intercede for me to our Blessed Mother Mary that my episcopal ministry be like her: peace, good and full of grace,” Santos said.
