Sinuknipan, Del Gallego, Camarines Sur. It was not going to be a long wait for the Parish of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Sinuknipan, Del Gallego (Camarines Sur) for after only thirteen (13) years since it was created as a parish in 2011, one of its sons, Nikko Villapando Alan, was raised to the Order of the Presbyterate in solemn rites presided by the Bishop of Libmanan, Jose Rojas, in this barangay parish on July 13, 2024. It was a long wait, however, a good twenty eight (28) years since 1996, when this barangay—then still under the jurisdiction of Sta. Rita Parish in Del Gallego—also offered one of its sons to the priesthood in the person of the late Fr. Jularch Palabrica who sadly died on October 21, 2000, only 29 years old and barely four years in the priestly ministry.
To the amazement of those present during the ordination, the bishop disclosed that the occasion was truly providential as it was on this same day, the 13th of July in 1996, that Fr. Jularch was also ordained to the priesthood. In his thanksgiving message Fr. Nikko also revealed that, in fact, in moments of crises during his formation years in the seminary, he would seek the intercession of Fr. Jularch (as though he was praying to a saint). He said that it was as if Fr. Jularch intervened in the choice of the date of his ordination since the coincidence was never on the bishop’s mind when the choice was made.
For his part, the bishop stressed in his homily the importance of obedience, essential as it is to the priesthood, it being its foundation, its bedrock, the principle of what it is to be sent in mission. If one is sent, he must obey not himself but him who sends. Further elaborating on this thought, the bishop said that one does not call himself, thus can he neither choose himself, much less send himself. Christ, the High Priest, lived his priesthood in complete obedience to the Father’s will. The gospel reading expressed it so well, in Jesus reply to his mother’s complaint upon finding him in the temple (Lk 2,49): “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus was in the business of doing his Father’s will. This indeed is the kind of obedience that a priest should emulate. The bishop concluded that a person lacking in the spirit of obedience is therefore never suited for the priesthood. In fact, those who have chosen to defy legitimate authority and do things their own way have only wandered off and gone astray.
Recalling an episode in Fr. Nikko’s life as a seminarian, the bishop candidly recounted that Fr. Nikko was close to losing his vocation when he decided to leave the seminary even at a time when he was close to finishing his studies. But then he listened to the bishop, submitted himself to his advice and that saved him from forfeiting what in fact was his treasure, his vocation.
As the ordination rites concluded, the mood in the parish was understandably jubilant. Joy was palpable all over the place, felt as it was by everyone, most of all by Manuel and Lorna, Fr. Nikko’s Tatay and Nanay. His priesthood was a fitting gift to them who nurtured not only his life but also his very vocation to the priesthood.
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