Lipa has new archbishop

Bishop Gilbert Garcera of the Diocese of Daet. Photo from CBCP website

A new archbishop will soon be installed to head the Archdiocese of Lipa.

Outgoing Daet Bishop Gilbert Garcera will be installed on April 21 to succeed Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, who retired last Feb. 2 after serving the archdiocese for almost 13 years.

Thousands of bishops, priests, the religious and well-wishers are expected to attend the episcopal installation of the 58-year-old archbishop-elect at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa City.

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

Garcera is currently a member of the Permanent Council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and chairs the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.

In October 2015, he was one of the five Filipinos invited by Pope Francis to participate in the historic Synod of Bishops on the Family at the Vatican.