Rufino "Jun" Coronel Sescon Jr. (born April 20, 1972) is a Filipino

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

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 ...

and a professed member of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

. He is the Bishop of Balanga, having been appointed by

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 ...

in 2024. Ordained to the priesthood in 1998, Sescon served as the personal secretary of then-Manila Archbishop Cardinal

Jaime Sin Jaime Cardinal Lachica Sin, ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and also formally known as Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardina ...

. He eventually rose to become one of the Philippines' most prominent preachers throughout his tenure as rector of

Quiapo Church The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (), commonly known as Quiapo Church and canonically as Saint John the Baptist Parish, is a prominent Catholic basilica and national shrine in the district of Quiapo in the city of Mani ...

. He is also the executive director of the Catholic Mass Media Awards and a member of the Presbyteral Council of the

Archdiocese of Manila In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

Early life and education

Rufino Coronel Sescon Jr. was born on April 20, 1972, in

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 ...

, Philippines. He was baptised by then Rev. Fr. Ramon Arguelles (currently as the Archbishop-Emeritus of Lipa) at San Jose de Navotas Parish on May 6, 1972. An alumnus of

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

, he then studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

San Carlos Seminary The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Archdiocese of Manila. It was established in the year 1702, by decree of King Philip V of Spain. At present, the institution houses seminarians belonging to various ...

, where he obtained

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

s in both disciplines.

Ministry

Diaconate and priesthood

Sescon was ordained to the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

on March 21, 1998, by

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

, then-

archbishop of Manila The Archdiocese of Manila (; ; ) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Catholic Church in the Philippines, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, ...

. He was then subsequently assigned as the parish deacon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in

Santa Mesa, Manila Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by the Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampalo ...

, as well as the financial officer of the Sta. Mesa Parochial School, now known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School. On September 19, 1998, Sescon was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Sin. He then served as Sin's assistant secretary, and later, his personal secretary from 2001 (when

Socrates Villegas Sócrates "Soc" Buenaventura Villegas (born September 28, 1960) is a Filipino prelate, and a professed member of the Dominican Order. He is the fifth and current Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan since 2009, and is the former pre ...

, Sin's former secretary, became auxiliary bishop of Manila) until his death in 2005. In 2005, he was named

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

of the Santo Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel in

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

. He also served as

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

from 2008 to 2015, as well as the administrator of the Archbishop's Palace (Cardinal Sin's former residence) in Villa San Miguel,

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

. In 2013, he was appointed as the first priest-in-charge (chaplain) of Mary Mother of Hope Chapel at Landmark Makati. His chaplaincy at both Greenbelt and Landmark Chapels ended in 2022. On September 28, 2020, he joined the Priestly Fraternities of St. Dominic, a

society of apostolic life A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally. It is regarded as a form of consecrated (or "religious") life. This type of organization ...

under the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius ...

. His last pastoral assignment as priest was at

, when he was appointed by Cardinal

Jose Advincula José Lázaro Fuerte Advíncula Jr. (born March 30, 1952) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church and a professed member of the Dominican Order, who became 33rd Archbishop of Manila in 2021. He became a cardinal in November 2020. He previ ...

as its rector and

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in 2022. He also served as a member of the archdiocese's presbyteral council and as the episcopal vicar for the city of

. Sescon was instrumental in elevating

as a national shrine in a process that took five months from the start of its application in February 2023 to the approval of 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 ...

(CBCP) in July. Under his pastoral leadership, the Feast of Jesús Nazareno, once a parochial feast in Quiapo, was celebrated in all Philippine dioceses for the first time in 2025.

Episcopate

Bishop Jun Sescon with Cardinal Advincula and Archbishop Villegas 2025-02-25

On December 3, 2024,

appointed Sescon as the fifth Bishop of Balanga, succeeding

Ruperto Santos Ruperto Cruz Santos, also known as Bishop Stud, (born October 30, 1957) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. Santos is the fifth and current Bishop of Antipolo. He is the president of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care for Mig ...

, who vacated the diocese in July 2023 to lead the

Diocese of Antipolo The Diocese of Antipolo (Latin: ''Dioecesis Antipolensis'', Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Antipolo'', Spanish: ''Diócesis de Antipolo'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that compri ...

. His episcopal ordination took place on February 25, 2025—the 39th anniversary of the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

—at the

Manila Cathedral The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as the Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica and cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Manila. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of ...

. Archbishop

, together with bishops

and

Honesto Ongtioco Honesto "Nes" Flores Ongtioco (born October 17, 1948) is a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Cubao from August 28, 2003 until his retirement was accepted on October 4, 2024. Prior t ...

as co-consecrators, ordained Sescon to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

. All of his consecrators were former bishops of Balanga. Meanwhile, Cardinal Advincula delivered the

homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ...

. During his ordination, Sescon received the

crozier A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...

from Villegas, who inherited it from Cardinal Sin. This crozier was also used by José María Cuenco, then- Archbishop of Jaro. Sescon chose to be ordained on the People Power Revolution anniversary as a "form of prayer for generosity" to "never forget" the spirit of the revolution. According to him, the spirit continues because of the people's faith that impels them to be generous and become the "conscience of society." He described the 1986 uprising as not only of "people power," but of "prayer power." Sescon also said: Sescon was formally installed as the fifth Bishop of Balanga on March 1, 2025, at the Cathedral-Shrine of Saint Joseph in Balanga,

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

. He was installed by Archbishop

Charles John Brown Charles John Brown (born 13 October 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as an apostolic nuncio since 2012. He is currently the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. Before entering the diplomatic service of ...

, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, in the presence of Archbishop of San Fernando Florentino Lavarias (who served as

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the diocese prior to his installation), his consecrator Archbishop Villegas (who gave the homily), Cardinals Advincula and

Pablo Virgilio David Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" Siongco David (born March 2, 1959) is a Filipino Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Kalookan since 2016. He was auxiliary bishop of San Fernando from 2006 to 2015. He has been president of the Catholic Bis ...

( Bishop of Kalookan and CBCP President), and government officials of the province of Bataan.

References

External links

Bishop Rufino Coronel Sescon Jr.

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sescon, Rufino 1972 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines Clergy from Manila Dominican bishops Filipino Dominicans Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni