My life with Lolo Dency

BLESSED SERVANT. Fr. Reginald Malicdem, secretary of Cardinal Rosales for seven years, is introduced to Pope Benedict XVI in this undated photo. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

It is said that the first five years in the priesthood are crucial because they are the formative years. Thus I consider it God’s great blessing to have spent not only the first five but the first seven years of my priesthood with a good, humble, simple, and holy priest—Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, whom we fondly call Lolo Dency.

He ordained me on Sept. 8, 2004, and, four months later, appointed me his personal secretary. What I thought was an assignment I would hold for only a few years lasted for seven years, until his retirement.

Those seven years made me discover the greatness of his person. I wish to share seven things about Lolo Dency, some of which probably are not very much known:

1.  He always sees the good.

Lolo Dency believes in the goodness inherent in everyone and in everything.  He always quotes Genesis 1:26 to remind us that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. And because God is good, His goodness is in each one of us.

He always sees the good in people, things and events. I remember a certain man who always goes to the Residencia even without an appointment and is very insistent on his advocacy. At one point, I asked the Cardinal, “Are you not getting impatient with this man?” I was surprised with his reply: “I admire the passion of this man. He would really find his way to do what he wants.  If only all of us would have that same passion…”

He always says: “There is so much good around us, much more than the evil. Why then do we always focus on what is bad?  Why do we always see the fault in people and events?  See the good, and it will change everything.”

2. He loves his priests.

He expresses his love for priests in various ways. First is through his time. He always reminds us in the office that if a priest asks for an appointment to talk to him, we should always give that priest top priority. He also assures priests that we can go to the Residencia anytime, even without appointment.

He visits priests who are old, sick, and are confined in the hospital and stays with them for as long as he can. He will always celebrate the funeral Mass for a priest who passed away, or comfort one whose parent or sibling died, even when this meant going outside Metro Manila.

Unknown to many, the Cardinal, in his private Mass, always says the Mass for Priests on ferial (ordinary) days.  Before every presbyterial ordination, he spends an hour in prayer for each candidate (for bishops, he spends two hours!).

In dealing with erring priests, he is not quick to condemn. He will always ask, what can I do to help you? There was one priest who was so displeased with the Cardinal because he was not given the assignment that he demanded. One time, this priest came to the Residencia and talked to the Cardinal. I was surprised that, at a certain point, the priest was already raising his voice at the Cardinal, but the latter remained quiet. The issue was brought up later in one of our meetings, where most of the priests unanimously decided that there should be sanctions. But the Cardinal asked, “If we sanction him, will we be able to help him? The issue I am concerned about is not that he shouted at me. That is nothing. What concerns me more is that he needs help and I want to help him.”

For many years, the Cardinal chaired the Commission on Clergy of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The National Congress of Priests was held twice during his tenure, in 2004 and 2010. I would consider the St. John Mary Vianney Galilee Development and Retreat Center for Priests, which he had built in Tagaytay, as the “crown” of his service for the clergy and a “memorial” of his love for priests.

The seminary has a special place in the Cardinal’s heart.  As a young priest, he was assigned as formator, professor, and later, rector at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Marawoy, Lipa City, for 12 years.  He also served as rector of San Carlos Seminary in Makati City. He also chaired for many years the Commission on Seminaries of the CBCP.

The Cardinal firmly believes that the renewal of the Church greatly depends on the renewal of priests.

3. He loves the poor.

The poor have a special place in the Cardinal’s heart.  He gives them special attention, fights for them, firmly believes that if we want to enter heaven, we must do something to alleviate poverty and give the poor a decent life. He always tells us that it is not true that it is St. Peter who stands at the gates of heaven to welcome those who wish to enter.  Quoting Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25, he believes that it will be the poor who will welcome us to heaven.

He visited the depressed areas in the Archdiocese.  I remember him walking through a dark tunnel in Pasay where he was moved to tears because of the inhuman conditions of the people. In the slums of Baseco and Quiapo, he listened to the people, went into their homes, ate with them, and assured them of the Church’s concern for their welfare.

I cannot forget how the Cardinal fought for the rights of the Sumilao farmers (in Bukidnon).  When the farmers finally reached Metro Manila after their arduous march from Malaybalay, he saw to it that he would be there to welcome them. Unknown to many, it was he who mediated (in their struggle to own land) until finally a resolution was reached. Asked by a reporter in a press conference why he was so involved in the issue, he said: “I will not answer.  Let them answer your question.”  And one of the farmers said, “He knows us. He was our bishop.”

His love for the poor is the motivation behind Pondo ng Pinoy.  This community movement is not just about collecting 25 centavos to support programs for the poor, but also a tool for evangelization, a means of awakening our compassion and charity, of forming our humanity. Through Pondo, the Cardinal teaches us that poverty can only be alleviated through a change of attitude.   He challenges us to make love our way of life. He reminds us again and again, anumang magaling, kahit na maliit, basta’t malimit ay patungong langit (done consistently, even small acts of kindness lead a path to heaven).

4. He loves people.

He is a people-person, unafraid to be seen in public places.  At times, I feel that he deliberately prefers to be seen by people so that he can interact with them.

Every Holy Thursday, the Cardinal goes on Visita Iglesia of the churches in the Archdiocese. When people recognize him, they immediately flock to him, kiss his hands, and take pictures with him. There were times I had to tell the deacons assisting him not to guard him too tightly because he loves to be with people.

When we travel abroad and the Cardinal sees Filipinos working in the airport, he would see to it that he has a little chat with them, asking them where they come from and how long they have been in that country. Even inside the plane, many times I have seen him talking with flight attendants and other passengers.

The Cardinal always says that we Filipinos are known for our personalism. That is another trait I admire about him.

5. He lives by his motto.

Even as a seminarian, he already fell in love with John 12:24. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single wheat; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” And by some stroke of Divine Providence, this is the same gospel pericope read on the Feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr, on Aug. 10, the Cardinal’s birthday.

When he became a bishop, he took this as his motto: Si mortuum fuerit, fructum affert (If it dies, it brings forth fruit). His whole life was governed by this principle, which he calls the Paschal Mystery principle.

Before he left for Malaybalay, the seminary community of San Carlos, of which he was the rector, tendered a despedida party for him.  The community gave him a gift—a keychain made of sterling silver and on it was etched: “John 12:24.”

As bishop in Malaybalay, he admitted that he had suffered a lot. Being a Tagalog, he initially found resistance from the priests and the locals, and had to learn many things, including the dialect, in order to be accepted.  There, he suffered the death of one of his priests because of their advocacy to protect the environment. He had to deal with priests and religious whose leanings were more on the Left. He had to travel great distances, climb mountains, and cross rivers to reach the far-flung areas of the diocese. He had to deal with rebels as well as soldiers. He considered his life in Mindanao an experience of the Paschal Mystery that greatly shaped his person and his priesthood.

Even as Archbishop of Lipa and Manila, he also suffered a lot. He had to deal with erring priests, with people who misunderstood him. In Manila, several times did the media paint a negative picture of him. I knew he was hurt, but he chose to remain quiet and would simply tell me: “This is part of my Paschal Mystery.”

To his priests, he will always say that sufferings, trials, temptations, and even our sins are part of our Paschal Mystery. They are our dying. But if we learn from them, they become stepping stones to our resurrection.

6. He is very simple.

I have never known a man so simple as the Cardinal. His tastes are so simple and his wants are few. One only has to see his room which contains only the things that are needed. He sleeps on a single bed with no cushion but only banig (a mat).

He feels awkward when given special treatment. Once, when we were going to a town in Bulacan, the parish priest said that policemen would wait for us past the tollgate to escort us all the way to the church. Later, it so happened that the policemen did not notice our vehicle, so I instructed our driver to approach them.  But the Cardinal said “never mind, let’s just proceed to the church. There is really no need for escorts.”

A few years ago, the Cardinal went to Lipa for a few days off.  He just asked the driver to bring him there and return right away to Manila. While in Lipa, he learned that a childhood friend had died and that the wake was in Batangas City. Since he no longer had a driver, the Cardinal decided to take a bus, a jeep, and then a tricycle to the wake. The next day it was front-page news.  At first I thought it wasn’t true.  Later he told me: “What’s so surprising about the Archbishop of Manila taking public transport?”

He may be the “most powerful” churchman in the land, but he remains humble. His simplicity and humility inspires all of us.

7.  He wants us to forget him.

At the press conference announcing of his retirement, one reporter asked how he wants to be remembered. His answer was surprising: “I don’t want to be remembered. Please forget me.”  That was no cliché for the Cardinal; he was just being consistent.  He does not want any building, institution, foundation, even a room to be named in his honor.  People who do not know him may not understand, but that is simply how the Cardinal is. He doesn’t want to be remembered.  He only wants us to remember Jesus.

How can we forget?

And that is what he repeatedly tells us priests. We preach not our opinions and ideas but the words of Jesus. We attract people not to ourselves but to Jesus. So that in the end, it is not us who will be remembered but Him.

Lolo Dency wants us to forget him. But how can we forget the shepherd whose simplicity puts us to shame, whose commitment to service is outstanding, whose love for God and the Church is unparalleled, whose holiness is shining?

How can we forget him who has become a sacrament of God’s love? And how can I forget him who trusted me, who taught me a lot of things and brought me to different places around the world, who shaped my priesthood and my person?

We simply can’t. We will always remember. And I will surely never forget. I won’t even try.

Maraming, maraming salamat po, Lolo Dency!

(Editor’s Note: On Oct. 11, Cardinal Rosales, 79, confirmed that his resignation had been accepted by Pope Benedict XVI and that he would be retiring before Christmas this year. The appointment of Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle as Rosales’ replacement was announced two days later. Tagle will be formally installed as the new Archbishop of Manila at Manila Cathedral on Monday.)