By Myraine Carluen-Policarpio
June 20, 2020
Malolos, Bulacan
Two more Filipino Catholic priests have been named by Pope Francis as “missionaries of mercy”.
The pope called Fr. Prospero Tenorio and Fr. Nap Baltazar, both from the Malolos diocese, to be the signs of God’s mercy to people.
The special mandate also calls the priests to make themselves available in bringing about the reconciliation of God through the ministry of Confession.
The appointments were made in the Vatican on March 30 but the priests received it only last week.
Fr. Tenorio is currently the rector of the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Bulacan’s Marilao town, and at the same time the national spiritual director of Divine Mercy-Philippines.
“All the more in order for us to transcend the mercy of God to the faithful, we really need to always think of mercy, speak of mercy and always do acts of mercy,” he said.
Fr. Baltazar, meanwhile, is the parish priest of Nuestra Seniora de Lourdes in DRT, Bulacan.
He said that they will continue the formation and training of the Divine Mercy devotees as part of the New Evangelization.
“To be merciful is to be joyful. The mercy of God gives joy,” Fr. Baltazar said.
Tenorio and Baltazar are also the Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Asia.
The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan on June 24 announced that four of its priests also received the same papal mandate as missionaries of mercy.
Named to the new mission to spread the works of mercy are priests Allan Morris Abuan, Danille Chad Pecson, Matt Jason Molina, and Roy Joel Rosal.
Missionaries of mercy are authorized by the Vatican to give presentations, retreats, workshops, and hear Confessions with an emphasis on the scriptural, theological and pastoral dimensions of the mercy of Christ.
The other missionaries of mercy in the Philippines are Franciscan priests Andrew Litigio, Joe Litigio, Robert Manansala, Andres Rañoa, and Father Jose Lito Escote of the Antique diocese, and Father Darek Drzewiecki of the Congregation of the Marian Fathers in Davao.
