Bacolod City, the Philippines, 9 August 2016 -- Bishop Patrick Buzon, SDB was installed on August 9,2016 as the 6th Bishop of Bacolod (Negros Occidental, Philippines). All Christian and Catholic schools declare no classes to enable the students attend to the historical canonical installation. Bishop Patricio Abella-Buzon has officially left the Diocese of Kabankalan (2003-2016), also in Negros Occidental, on Monday to replace Bishop Bishop Emeritus Vicente M. Navarra who has resigned at the age of 77. Bishop Navarra was bishop of the Diocese of Kabankalan before he was appointed by Vatican to head the Diocese of Bacolod. Bishop Buzon also succeeded him in Kabankalan.
During the Eucharist in the Cathedral of San Sebastian with the presence of twenty other bishops and hundreds of priests bishop Buzon was installed by Archbishop Socrates Villegas, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Bishop.
Bishop Patrick, a member of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Youth, was born on March 14, 1950, in Cebu City. An alumnus of Don Bosco Academy High School in San Fernando, Pampanga, got his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Education, majoring in Electricity from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila where he also completed his Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree. He made his first profession as Salesian of Don Bosco in June 1967. From 1998 to 2003 was the first Filipino Provincial of Cebu (FIS). He was ordained as bishop of Kabankalan on Feb. 19, 2003. Currently is also the president of the UST Central Seminary Alumni Association.
The diocese of Bacolod was established in 1932. The total population is about 1.5 million with 82% of Catholics, 140 priests (102 diocesan and 39 religious; about 9000 Catholics per priest) who are serving in 70 parishes. There are 92 religious brothers and 192 religious sisters.
The Salesians of the FIS province (Cebu) have one larger community of 7 confreres in the Bacolod diocese, that does serve the youth in the Parish of Mambucal - Granada retreat house, Boys Home and are also involved in the pastoral ministry of the Chinese school in Bacolod.
We wish to the newly installed bishop a lot of wisdom and courage to guide the particular Church of Bacolod along the path of missionary discipleship requested by Pope Francis.
