Archbishop Gaudencio B. Rosales:
A Capacity for Great Sacrifice

“Si mortuum fuerit, frutum affert” (If it dies, it yields much fruit) John 12:24.

It may seem the greatest of ironies that a man who has chosen this Scriptural verse as the guiding principle of his life and ministry should use the word “fear” to describe his first reaction to news that he has been appointed to shepherd the people of God in the premier diocese of the Philippines.

And yet, that is what Archbishop Gaudencio B. Rosales candidly admits he feels as he prepares for his new assignment as Archbishop of Manila. It is an emotion not new to him, an experience that he has been through at every major transition in his life, when he was challenged to live the fullness of this motto in the path of a destiny not of his sole design.

The fear, however, is not the fear of the dying that must take place before the flowering, ripening and harvest of fruit. It is more the agony of a man who perceives the vastness of the mission and responsibility, shaken and weakened by the thought of human limitations, yet willing to drink from the proffered cup, drawing strength only from his own Shepherd’s assurance, “Fear not!”

Indeed, through the years, his very life itself has been witness to the infallibility of this lifeline and a testimony to his chosen Episcopal motto.

For Archbishop Rosales is nothing if not a man who has dedicated himself to the preservation, upliftment, and indeed, to the celebration of life – an inspiration and challenge to others to yield fruit from suffering and death.

The road that he traveled that has led him to the Archdiocese of Manila speaks richly of that commitment – as his has been a life of nurturing and gentle shepherding, from impressionable minds in the seminaries in Lipa and Manila to whole communities in the flock in Bukidnon and in Batangas.

Seminary work

The early years of Archbishop Rosales’ priesthood were spent teaching those who wanted to take the path he had chosen. He served as Prefect Rector at the St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary, and after which he became Spiritual Director and professor at the St. Francis de Sales College Seminary. From there, he moved on to become parish priest at the Immaculate Conception in Batangas City, and then Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, where he also served as Rector of the San Carlos Seminary. He eventually became Bishop of Bukidnon, after which he was designated Archbishop of Lipa.

As he demonstrated gentleness and compassion in his leadership of the faithful under him, and as he sought to nurture their spiritual well-being, so too did he display the strength of his convictions and most of all, his capacity for great sacrifice, which perhaps is the true import of his Episcopal motto.

Under his Christian leadership in the Diocese of Malaybalay, for instance, Archbishop Rosales put himself on the line and lobbied actively for a permanent moratorium on logging operations in the province. Not content with merely expressions from the pulpit, he initiated dialogues between the loggers and the community to ensure that Bukidnon would be free from the onslaught of logging.

As he takes over the powerful position of Archbishop of Manila from Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, Archbishop Rosales carries with him that same brand of sacrifice and compassionate but fearless leadership. That his is an enormous responsibility is not lost on him. He occupies the position in the middle of a political maelstrom, amid economic uncertainties and increasing poverty, and at a time when Church scandals have wrought fissures among the faithful. That is why he has made it his commitment to evolve, not as a leader alone, but as a shepherd with a participative flock, a vision with which to navigate the waters, one that is validated by experience and confirmed by the Word of God. It will certainly be a vision whose thrust is primarily the people – to heal them, to reach out to them, to empower them, and perhaps most importantly, to strengthen their faith by devotion to Jesus Christ, as his has been strengthened. It is a vision that will find its roots in history and a tradition built for more than two thousand years, but which will take wing from the collective aspirations and unique amalgam of voices of a people in search for answers.

Biggest problem

According to Archbishop Rosales, the single biggest problem facing the whole Catholic Church today is the failure of Christian men and women to believe that they can transform the world they believe in into the world that Christ had always wanted, to become yeast in the mass of flour that becomes bread. There is a hesitation and a reticence to make a difference and use the gift of one’s faith to enrich other people’s faith. Social problems fester and the wounds deepen because people see themselves as dispassionate observers, helpless and apathetic, unable and unwilling to rail against injustice and oppression. That ours is a country mired in poverty is an indictment of the Christian faith and its values of giving and service and compassion, and Archbishop Rosales endeavors to find answers to that, and to effect meaningful change consistent with his principles and ideals.

For someone in a position as unique prominent as the Archbishop’s, it is all too easy to mouth gingerbread solutions to existing social ills and exhort them in one pastoral letter after the other, to come up with high-profile soundbites for high-profile issues. But Archbishop Rosales is not a man of template answers. He is, after all, a quiet man by nature. He knows that there is a deeper and more profound mission for him, a mandate, so to speak, that he cannot but live up to. At the end of the day, it does go back to goodness, it does go back to truth, it does go back to faith.

Most importantly, it does go back to sacrifice, and the complete and total surrendering of oneself. That is what is meant by dying, perhaps, and there can be no finer expression of a life well lived than that. – Jesselynn G. de la Cruz