New bishop of Jolo ordained with 10 people in attendance

Bishop Charlie Inzon

COTABATO CITY—With only 10 people in attendance at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral here, Oblate priest Charlie M. Inzon was ordained the 6th bishop of the Jolo vicariate Thursday.

Cotabato archbishop Angelito Lampon served as Inzon’s principal consecrator.

Lampon was accompanied by retired Cotabato archbishop Cardinal Orlando Quevedo and Kidapawan bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo.

The Eucharistic celebration to mark Inzon’s ascension to his new office was subdued due to existing community quarantine measures put in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Quevedo noted that Inzon’s ordination fell on a special day for the Oblates, May 21 being the feast day of St. Eugene de Mazenod, founder of the Oblate of Mary Immaculate religious order.

Pope Francis appointed Inzon as Jolo bishop last month, on the eve of Palm Sunday.

Prior to the appointment, Inzon was superior of the OMI congregation in the Philippines.

Since November 2018, the Jolo vicariate has been without a bishop after then Bishop Lampon was picked by the Pope to lead the Archdiocese of Cotabato, vice Cardinal Quevedo who has retired.

Inzon is expected to be installed in the Jolo vicariate later this month.

According to Cardinal Quevedo, Inzon was the fifth bishop to be consecrated at the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in the past 69 years.

The first was Fr. Gerard Mongeau as bishop of the then Cotabato prelature in 1951, followed by Fr. Antonino Nepomuceno, as auxiliary bishop of Cotabato in 1969.

In 1988, Fr. Romulo dela Cruz was consecrated as co-adjutor bishop of the prelature of Isabela in Basilan.

Fr. Jose Colin Bagaforo, currently bishop of Kidapawan, was consecrated in 2006 as auxiliary bishop of Cotabato.

Although the installation rites was off limits to the public, the Catholic faithful shared in the historic event as it was broadcast live through social media.

JPV