Gerard Francisco Parco Timoner III (born 26 January 1968) is a Filipino Catholic priest who has served as the 88th

Master of the Order of Preachers The Master of the Order of Preachers is the Superior General of the Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order, Dominicans. The Master of the Order of Preachers is ''ex officio'' Chancellor (education), Grand Chancellor of the Pont ...

, better known as the

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

, since 13 July 2019. He is the first Asian to hold the position. Timoner is also a professor of theology at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and since 2014 a member of the

International Theological Commission The International Theological Commission (ITC) is a body of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church; it advises the magisterium of the church, particularly the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Its m ...

Early life and education

Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III was born on 26 January 1968 in

Daet, Camarines Norte Daet (), officially the Municipality of Daet (; ), is a municipality and capital of the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,700 people making it the most populous in the province ...

, Philippines to Francisco Timoner Jr. and Lilia Parco. He attended the Augustinian-administered

La Consolacion College – Daet The La Consolacion College Daet is a private Catholic school run by the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation (ASOLC) in Daet, Camarines Norte, Philippines. It was founded in 1948 and named Daet Parochial School by Monsignor Antonino O. ...

, graduating first honors from grade school in 1981, and as high school valedictorian in 1985. He obtained his licentiate in philosophy at the Philippine Dominican Center for International Studies in 1991 and a licentiate in theology at the

in 1994. He joined the Dominicans in 1985 and professed his vows in 1989. His brother, Ronald Anthony Timoner, is also a priest who served as the Vicar General and Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Daet and was appointed as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Pagadian.

Vocation

Timoner was ordained a priest in 1995. He earned additional degrees in sacred theology and intercultural theology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen in 2004. On 23 September 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

named him a member of the

. He is the fourth Filipino to have that distinction. In December 2018, he was one of the leaders of a delegation of priests that searched the Dominican Mausoleum in Rome's

Campo Verano The Campo Verano (Italian: ''Cimitero del Verano'') is a cemetery in Rome, Italy, founded in the early 19th century. The monumental cemetery covers a surface area of 83 hectares which is currently divided into several sections: the main Catholic ...

cemetery for the remains of the first native-born Filipino ever consecrated a bishop,

Jorge Barlin Jorge Barlín (April 23, 1850 – September 4, 1909) also known as Jorge Barlín Imperial, Jorge Alfonso Imperial Barlín and Jorge Barlín é Imperial following Spanish naming customs, was the first Filipino consecrated a bishop in the Roman Ca ...

(born 1850–1909), who served as the

Bishop of Nueva Caceres A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

until his death in the city in 1909. He was Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines and then Socius of the Master for Asia-Pacific before being elected Master of the Order on 13 July 2019. As the head of the Dominicans, he is also the ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Timoner, Gerard III 1968 births Living people People from Camarines Norte People from Quezon City Radboud University Nijmegen alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Members of the Dominican Order Filipino Dominicans Academic staff of the University of Santo Tomas 21st-century Filipino Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Filipino Roman Catholic priests Masters of the Order of Preachers