FROM MANILA TO BATAAN
BISHOP SOC: THE JOURNEY OF FAITH CONTINUES

The distance between Manila and Balanga can be covered within two hours or less if the traffic is smooth and the vehicle in good condition. But the despedidas which followed the announcement of the appointment of then Manila Auxiliary Bishop Socrates B. Villegas on May 3 as the new Ordinary Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga, Bataan, seemed endless, covering almost each of the days of the two months leading up to his installation on July 3, 2004. It would seem as if the genial, youthful bishop was going to the moon!

But the faithful of the Archdiocese of Manila and the dioceses carved out of it in the recent past could be forgiven their long and incessant-if not insistent and oftentimes emotional-send-offs. They are "losing" their favorite priest, their beloved bishop, their friend.

Indeed there could probably be only a handful in these places who do not know or have not heard of him.  It is because at one time or another, in the 19 years that he has been a priest, he had been to each of the parishes of the Archdiocese of Manila, which numbered, before its division in 2002 and 2003, to almost 260.

His forays to these parishes were inevitable at the beginning because immediately after his ordination in  1985, he was appointed secretary to Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila. He would accompany the Cardinal in all his pastoral and ecclesiastical duties. In time the visits would cross oceans and seas, and his journey would cover not just distances of time and places, but also cut through the changing tides of history.

It would seem to many that this young, brilliant priest was the wind beneath the wings of the hugely popular Cardinal Sin, modern-day prophet and hero of the Philippines' widely acclaimed People Power peaceful revolution. Bishop Soc or Father Soc as he is fondly called, however, would sprout his own wings, and prove his own in the ministry that he has embraced with total devotion and obedience.

At 43, Bishop Soc continues with his journey of faith to a new frontier--away from his comfort zone, but promising new challenges and discoveries. The many farewells of Manila will give way to the warm welcomes of Balanga.

Simple boy from Pateros

There is no doubt that the vocation to the priesthood of Socrates Buenaventura Villegas sprung in his early youth. In the small town of Pateros which was his home, the young Soc was surrounded by doting parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives who practiced their Catholic religion with fervor and constancy. His parish priest, seeing him in Church, would invariably tell him with conviction, "You're going to be a priest."

Young as he was, Soc did not give much significance to the older priest's prophetic assertions. But his mother, Norma loved to relate how her son would love to play priest, draping his shoulders with a blanket to serve as chasuble, and assigning to his younger cousin the role of sacristan.

Together with other kids in the neighborhood they would hold "masses" and
"religious processions." Father Soc finished grade school as valedictorian. He gained a scholarship at the Manila Science High School, but due to frail health he had to study
at nearby Pateros Catholic School. After a year he moved on to Letran College in Intramuros, a stone's throw away from the Manila City Hall where his parents, Emiliano and Norma worked.  Two older siblings, Willie, now a management engineer based in Canada, and Puri, an accountant based in Texas, USA, had taken very definite academic routes towards professional careers.

And entering the priesthood did not seem to be a likely choice.  He had passed the college entrance exams for Ateneo de Manila but something else was in store for him.
In high school, he started to conceal this overt inclination toward the priesthood. "In high school, due to peer pressure, I had to put aside that dream because it sounded weird that somebody should aspire to be a priest. So I kept quiet about it,"  he said.

Bruce Lee: vocation director

He thus vented all his energy and fascination on his greatest teenage idol, Chinese martial art expert Bruce Lee. Though he couldn't perform his own kung-fu high kicks because he was sickly and asthmatic as a child, the young Soc nonetheless enjoyed watching Bruce Lee's movies and reading his meditations.

In fact, it can even be said now that Bruce Lee is the reason why Father Soc entered the priesthood. It started when, after Bruce Lee's death, Father Soc came upon the actor's last meditation. "Bruce Lee said, 'The cup realizes itself only by being empty.' That really gave me some sleepless nights. I was disturbed. I started to get zero in my quizzes, and it was strange for the teachers."

The young man was summoned to the principal's office because of the uncharacteristic deterioration of his academic performance. Father Soc chuckles in fond remembrance of that event. "The principal asked me 'what's going on? Did you break up with your girlfriend?' And I said, at the brink of tears, 'Bruce Lee died!"
Expectedly, the principal laughed at his dramatic response. But Father Soc knew in his young heart that the kung fu master's death would lead him to more revelations about himself. After graduation, he wanted to enter the monastery but instead found himself at the doorsteps of San Carlos Seminary, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Manila.
He was sure that he would only spend a few years there before he would eventually realize his dream of being a monk. Again, another road would open up to him.

The road to the priesthood

Father Soc thrived in the seminary, excelling in academics and proving to be a leader. But at the close of his theological studies on the eve of his ordination, he was asked to reflect further on his vocation. This brought him to the island of Talim to do more pastoral work and to discern his call. Among the simple folks of Talim, a small island in Rizal he saw the light, literally and figuratively.

Back then there was no electricity in Talim so he would light a candle to conduct the Bible study with a group of people. The following night, there would be two candles. Then there would be three and four. Until one night there was a procession of lighted candles streaming into the hut where he would have the Bible study. For the young priest-to be it was a spiritual experience. He was being shown the light of faith by simple folks.
He was ready to embrace his vocation and to submit his life totally to the call to be a priest. It was his Talim experience that he would later on share with the youth, especially the young people of the Edsa Shrine community, whom he brought there yearly on

pilgrimage and retreat.

The Cardinal's secretary

Cardinal Sin ordained him to the priesthood on October 4, 1985, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, his favorite saint. No parish assignment was in store for him, instead he was named Secretary of the Archbishop of Manila, a not too enviable task for a priest showing so much promise. But he took on the assignment with eagerness and dedication, absorbing as much as he could at the feet of the cardinal-archbishop whose courageous shepherding of the flock in the Archdiocese of Manila and in the entire country, led to
profound changes in the nation's history, the People Power Revolution of 1986 and People Power 2 of 2001.

The Cardinal would also open up to the young priest the world, bringing him to trail-blazing trips abroad. He was with the Cardinal on his trips to Russia (including Lithuania) and China, which were then both under strict communist rule, in 1987, and to Czechoslovakia and Poland, after they, too, broke from the shackles of communism to become democratic states.

Father Soc would accompany the Manila prelate on important trips to Rome and
the United States, and to pilgrimages in Marian Shrines such as Lourdes in France, Guadalupe in Mexico, Fatima in Portugal, Medjugorje in Yugoslavia, and many others.
It was education that postgraduate courses could not give but Father Soc continue to year for a pastoral experience he could truly call his own.

The EDSA Shrine

In 1989, Father Soc was appointed rector of the Edsa Shrine and finally he could begin his pastoral ministry. The Edsa Shrine or formally known as Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Edsa Shrine, was the Church built at the corner of Ortigas Avenue and Edsa to commemorate the peaceful revolution of February 1986 that saw the toppling of the Marcos dictatorship. The appointment showed the Cardinal's confidence in him, the Shrine being a symbol of the peace brought about through the prayers of intercession to the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Peace. More than the Shrine would be the permanent memorial of a historic event.

But far from being merely a passive memorial the Edsa Shrine soon throbbed with community life. Through the shepherding of Father Soc, a community was formed from the increasing number of people who daily celebrated the Eucharist there and prayed for comfort and solace amidst a turbulent metropolis.

His homilies attracted hordes who found spiritual nourishment from his preaching of the word, which was described as lucid, concise, uplifting, catechetical, transforming and engaging. The Shrine also attracted other priests from nearby seminaries for the celebration of the Masses-four on weekdays and Saturdays and eight on Sundays. His homilies at the shrine and later on also his First Friday Holy Hour reflections, his talks in retreats and various conferences have been recorded in seven books published
commercially and are considered best-sellers.

People looked forward to being part of the liturgical celebrations he presided over, at the Edsa Shrine and at other Churches and occasions. For Bishop Soc celebrates the Eucharist and presides over the Sacraments with inspiring solemnity and dignity, bringing to these sacred rites an atmosphere of prayer and holiness.

The Edsa Shrine community grew and attracted many to various forms of Church ministries: Special Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors and Commentators, Altar Servers and Choirs. The social ministry would include outreach programs such as the Free Clinic, the Bread of Life, which initially fed the street children and the poor people living in the underpasses.

The community's involvement paved the way to the building of a school for the poor children in Pasig and to the building of houses in San Mateo, Rizal. In February 2004, Bishop Soc turned over the Ina ng Kapayapaan Church, which he had built with the support of the Edsa Shrine,  to the people of Kasiglahan Village in San Mateo, Rizal.

"Excess of success"

Being Rector of the Edsa Shrine was only one of the many tasks that had been placed on the shoulders of Father Soc. In 1994, he was named honorary prelate by Pope John Paul II and earned the title of monsignor. At the same time he was serving as vicar general of the Archdiocese and subsequently became bishop-in-charge of the archdiocese's ecclesiastical districts: first Manila, then Makati, followed by Cubao. He initiated pastoral programs in these districts through pastoral assemblies that served
to unite the people in their mission of service to the Church. In 1994 Monsignor Soc, as Minister for Youth Affairs of the archdiocese was tasked with organizing the Fourth World Youth Day, which would be graced by the Holy Father.  The event, dubbed as "excess of success" attracted the biggest crowd ever to a papal visit anywhere in the
world. Four million people gathered at the Luneta for the closing Mass of the Fourth World Youth Day.

His organizational skills proven, Monsignor Soc was given the responsibility of putting together several other national congress and conferences. In 2002, he was at the helm of the working committee that successfully organized the Fourth World Meeting of Families.

The young bishop

Monsignor Soc Villegas was named bishop on July 25, 2001, on the feast of St. James the Apostle. He was two-months shy of turning 41. While many were not surprised at this development, after all it was thought that it was just a matter of time before he would indeed be given the responsibility, Bishop Soc was quite apprehensive about accepting the appointment. "I was only 15 years a priest and 40 years old. I was made a
secretary (to the Archbishop) too young, right after my ordination. My classmates (in the seminary) would say that I was never given the chance to be a young priest and enjoy the excitement of baptisms and weddings." But eventually he took as part of the sacrifice of the priesthood. "And where the spirit of sacrifice, there is authentic priesthood."

This spirit of sacrifice is being brought to the fore once more. On May 3, 2004 he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga. It was a bitter-sweet moment for the young bishop. His happiness at finally being able to shepherd his own diocese was tinged with sadness at parting with loved ones in the ministry, foremost of whom was Cardinal Sin. But like a true and courageous soldier of Christ, he accepted the will of God with total obedience.

A few weeks after his new appointment he had gathered the clergy he would guide in his diocese around the Blessed Sacrament. They prayed together and he introduced himself. One young priest later on would share how he had been touched by that initial meeting. "We first met before the Blessed Sacrament. What could be a more auspicious meeting than that," he said.

The new Balanga bishop has begun gathering his flock. The vision he hopes to share with them: to be holy together; to be saints together.

From the Peace that his motto as a bishop entones and which has found affirmation in his stint at the Shrine dedicated to peace and as a priest and bishop in the Archbdiocese of Manila, he goes off to a new land, where heroic lives paid the steep price of peace and freedom, carrying with him the desire not only for himself for the faithful he serves.To be a hero and to be holy, through peace.

The new bishop continues on his journey. And a warm welcome awaits
him at his next destination. - Peachy E. Yamsuan with Jennifer Casipit.