VIGAN CITY, July 4 (PIA) – Archbishop Marlo Peralta of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia has called for prayers from Filipino faithful to advance the cause of the first and only Ilocano candidate to sainthood.

The prelate made the call during Mass to mark the 67th death anniversary of the Servant of God, Bishop Alfredo Verzosa, last Sunday, June 27, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). 

In his homily at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle in this city, Peralta said that all are called to live a holy life by becoming faithful to the vocation that God has called each one to. 

Bishop Verzosa, he said, gave all he had for his love for God and the people.

Among the worth-emulating virtues of the bishop, according to him, were his obedience and humility.

Born in Vigan on December 9, 1877, the Servant of God grew up and took his early education during the later part of the Spanish rule in the Philippines.

He started his seminary formation in his native Vigan and at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in Manila.

He pursued his Theological studies at the University of Santo Tomás.

The bishop was in Manila when the revolution broke out, making him a witness to the struggle of the natives for independence and the schism led by a fellow Bigueño, Isabelo de los Reyes.

Amidst the confusion caused by the chaotic situation, he remained steadfast and firm in his faith. 

Bishop Verzosa was among the first native priests to be ordained during the American occupation of the country.

His priestly ministry in Nueva Segovia was characterized by preserving Roman Catholicism in the Ilocos area.

He was sent as a missionary to the schismatics in Ilocos Norte and through that effort, he gained a number of Ilocanos return to the Roman Catholic Church. 

The Servant of God was able to re-establish Roman Catholicism in the schismatic town of Bantay in Ilocos Sur where he was parish priest for 10 years.

As a priest, he developed commitment and a special love for catechism.

As bishop of Lipa, he invested efforts and money in a wide catechetical campaign throughout his territory which then comprised of the civil provinces of Batangas, Tayabas (now Quezon), Laguna, Mindoro, and Marinduque.

This commitment to catechetical programs led him to found a religious congregation for women, the Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Heart (MCSH) in 1923. 

The bishop’s Cause for Beatification and Canonization was initiated early in 2013, which was affirmed with the subsequent granting of a “nihil obstat” (nothing hinders) by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

After the diocesan inquiry, in 2016, the cause was brought to the Vatican and with the issuance of the decree of validity in 2017, the “Roman Phase” of the cause started to roll. (JCR/AMB/PIA Ilocos Sur with reports from CBCP)