New Cagayan de Oro archbishop installed in front of audience kept small by pandemic
Newly installed Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Jose Cabantan concelebrates Mass at the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral. FROILAN GALLARDO
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Bishop Jose Araneta Cabantan was installed as the new leader of the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese on Friday (Aug. 28), which came in time for the feast of the city’s patron, Saint Augustine.
Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, Archbishop Emeritus of Cotabato, presided over the rites at the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral attended by only 250 guests, in keeping with health protocols imposed by local authorities.
Quevedo donned on Cabantan the pallium, a woolen cloak which symbolizes his authority over the archdiocese, comprising the city of Cagayan de Oro and the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Camiguin.
A native of Lagonglong town in Misamis Oriental, Cabantan is the fifth head of the archdiocese, and the first to come from the area. He was bishop of the Malaybalay Diocese in Bukidnon for 10 years prior to his election as archbishop, replacing the Jesuit Antonio Ledesma who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.
“The diocese of Malaybalay taught me how to be a bishop,” an emotional Cabantan said.
“To infect our brothers and sisters with the love and mercy of God is our common mission,” Cabantan told the local clergy.
