Guillermo Dela Vega Afable (born April 3, 1951) is a Filipino

bishop 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 ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who currently serves as Bishop of

Digos Digos, officially the City of Digos (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 188,376 people. The city lies on the western shores of Davao Gul ...

since 2003. Prior to his appointment in Digos, he served as Auxiliary Bishop of Davao from 2001 to 2002.

Early life and education

Afable was born on April 3, 1951, in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

. He completed his elementary education at Ateneo de Davao, Matina, from 1959 to 1963 and his secondary education at the same institution from 1964 to 1968. He pursued his college studies at the St. Francis Xavier Regional Seminary from 1968 to 1972 and continued his theological formation at the same seminary from 1972 to 1976. From 1980 to 1985, he completed postgraduate studies in Liturgy in

Anselmianum The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (; ) or simply ''Sant'Anselmo'', is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studies, lan ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

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and a postgraduate degree in Canon Law in

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (PUST), also known as the ''Angelicum'' or ''Collegio Angelico'' (in honor of its patron, the ''Doctor Angelicus'' Thomas Aquinas), is a pontifical university located in the historic center of R ...

Priesthood

Afable was ordained a priest on April 24, 1976, at Our Lady of Fatima Parish by Most Rev.

Antonio Mabutas Archbishop Antonio Lloren Mabutas † (13 June 1921 – 22 April 1999) was the first bishop of Diocese of Laoag and the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Davao. He succeeded Clovis Thibault, PME on 9 December 1972. He was also the Presiden ...

. From 1976 to 1978, he served as Parochial Vicar at San Pedro Cathedral Parish. From 1978 to 1980, he was the Rector of St. Francis Xavier College Seminary in Catalunan Grande. Between 1985 and 1991, he served as Parish Priest at San Pablo Parish and later became the Director of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission from 1986 to 1991. From 1992 to 1995, he was assigned as Parish Priest in the Solomon Islands under the

Mission Society of the Philippines The Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) is a society of apostolic life of the Latin Catholic Church. Overview It was established by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) – the country's episcopal body – in 1965 as ...

. From 1997 to 2001, he was the Director of Bishop Thibault Media Center. He was then appointed Parish Priest of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Obrero, Davao City, from 1998 to 2001. Before becoming a bishop, he served as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Davao from 1997 to 2002.

Episcopal ministry

On April 21, 2001,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed Afable as Auxiliary Bishop of Davao and Titular Bishop of Vadesi. He was consecrated on July 12, 2001, at San Pedro Cathedral, Davao City, by Archbishop Antonio Franco. On April 24, 2002, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Digos, and he succeeded as the bishop of Digos on February 11, 2003, following the resignation of Bishop Generoso Camiña, P.M.E. for health reasons. Within the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (abbreviated as CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their terr ...

, he served as Vice-chairman of the Commission on Mission from 2005 to 2011. He also served as Regional representative of Mindanao South to the Permanent Council from 2007 to 2009 and again from 2011 to 2013.

References

External links

Bishop Guillermo D. Afable at Catholic-Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afable, Guillermo D. 1951 births Living people People from Davao City Roman Catholic bishops of Digos Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines