Installation of new Lipa archbishop set on April 21

The installation of the new head of the Archdiocese of Lipa will be held next month. (Photo by Junsierra (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])

According to an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website, 58-year old Bishop Gilbert Garcera will be installed on April 21 at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa City.

The archbishop-elect succeeds Archbishop Ramon Arguelles who retired last Feb. 2 after serving the archdiocese for almost 13 years.

Garcera, who was appointed by Pope Francis, has served as bishop of Daet in Camarines Norte for the last nine years.

Aside from Batangas, the Ecclesiastical Province of Lipa also covers the suffragan dioceses of Boac, Gumaca, Infanta, and Lucena.

Thousands of bishops, priests, the religious and well-wishers are expected to attend the episcopal installation.

Among those who previously served the archdiocese include Manila Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Garcera is currently a member of the Permanent Council of the CBCP and chairs the conference’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.

He was among the five Filipinos invited by the Holy Father to participate in the historic Synod of Bishops on the Family at the Vatican in October 2015.