THE BISHOP’S BIOGRAPHY
Introduction:
The greatest story
of God’s love started with the Yes, of Mary to the
invitation of God to be the mother of His son so that the world will know and
experience God’s immense love for mankind.
Indeed because of the active participation of Mary , God’s
plan of salvation became a human experience. Christ’s birth
and later His ministry of love and unity
brought him to His death. His resurrection defeated death and won for us
our salvation. The Lord’s authentic love for mankind is manifested in Jesus which was the central message of His ministry
which He proclaimed with his own life and passed on to
His disciples. They carried out the mandate He gave them , “Go, make
disciples of all the nations, baptize them, teach them to observe
all the commandments I gave you”.(Mt.28:19-20)
. Through the ministers of the
Church God’s love which is
both a gift and a task is continually proclaimed through the Church founded by
Christ Himself, to all generations until the end of time…..
The
seed of vocation encouraged by his
Mother
In a not so distant time,
a boy was born to spouses, Isidro and Paula Cabrera. His parents named
him ,Jesus. God must have put it in their hearts to name him after the Son of
God. His parents were not inspired to call him
"Jesus" for nothing. God was indicating something for their son. One fine morning, his prayerful mother, Mrs.
Paula Cabrera came home from Church
as was her usual routine. Having fully
understood that Christ continues to
invite people to participate in His mission to
spread God’s love, she asked her
youngest son named, Jesus, “Iho,
gabay moy manpari?" (Son, do you want to become a priest?) The dutiful son answered, “On, Mama” (yes,mama)
The
seed of vocation nourished by his
Seminary Formations
The answer coming from
the young innocent boy was not just an unmindful answer to his mother’s
question. The following school year he entered the Mary Help of Christians Seminary in Binmaley for
his high school formation. It was
the beginning of his long and unbroken journey
to priesthood. His answer of yes,
on that fine morning was not after all just a
passing response because he recognized God’s plan for him which was
first manifested through his mother.
Like Christ Himself , God’s plan was
revealed through Mary, His mother.
And in no time he finished his seminary formation and was ready
for ordination to the priesthood but
because he was underage he had to
ask for dispensation. And finally on April 11,1964, at the age of 23 years old he was ordained as a priest by the late Most Rev. Juan
Sison,D.D.
JOURNEY AS A PRIEST:
The
seed of vocation has grown through his
Ministry
After ordination he was assigned as an Associate Pastor in Malasiqui from 1964-1970 and in between was on a special assignment in San Carlos City. The Malasiqui Catholic
School was established in 1967 . Hand in hand with his Parish work he became
the Director of the pioneering school
until he left in 1970 to become the Rector of the College Seminary in
Urdaneta and Baguio City. Then he took his graduate studies at the University
of Santo Tomas and while there he worked
as the Chaplain of the Capitol Medical
Center. Afterwards he left for a special
course at the Scoula Sacerdotale in Frascati,Italy ,
followed by a pastoral work in New
Jersey, New York. The special course on Seminary Administration which he took
in Washington DC prepared him for the
job as a Rector of the Minor Seminary in Binmaley, Pangasinan which he assumed
after he came back in 1976. From then on
he took parish assignment one after another. First he took charge of
Calasiao Parish, followed by Dagupan Cathedral Parish Church, where he was ordained as Bishop and made the
Auxilliary Bishop to the late Most Rev.
Federico Limon,D.D. Later he was
transferred to the Three Kings Parish of Lingayen, the last parish he was
assigned in, before he was installed
as the first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of
Alaminos.
The
Fullness of His Priesthood through the Episcopal Ordination
On July 1,1980, the then Pope John Paul II now, a Saint,
appointed him a Bishop after being a priest for 16 years. His Episcopal Ordination
was presided by the late Most Rev. Bruno
Torpigliani , then the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. He was first appointed as the
Titular Bishop of Tisidou and as an
Auxilliary Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan.
As
the Bishop of the Diocese of Alaminos
On the 12th of January 1985, the Holy Father Pope
John Paul II appointed the Most Rev.
Jesus A. Cabrera,DD, then the Auxilliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan as the Bishop of the
newly created Diocese in western
Pangasinan.
On June 28,1985, in the midst of a strong typhoon, the Most Rev. Jesus A. Cabrera, was installed
as the first residential bishop of the Diocese of Alaminos. The new Diocese, one of the three in the province of
Pangasinan is composed of 19
parishes. It is a beautiful land endowed with the rich natural resources derived
from the vast land, the mountains, rivers and seas. At the time of its
creation the diocese has a population of
about 550,000. Majority of the people live
through fishing and farming.
The task of building the new Church is daunting but the promise
of God is much more assuring He is strengthened by God himself who said in Philippians 1:28-29 “Do not be afraid , all this comes from God
for through Christ you have been granted not only faith in Christ but also to
suffer for him.” The poverty of the area
was an opportunity for the newly installed Bishop to depend on the Providence of God .
With 16 brave and zealous priests with a handful industrious religious sisters and some
committed lay leaders, the bishop
embarked on building the Diocese of Alaminos. It started with the articulation
of the vision which was borne from the
analysis of the existing pastoral as
well as socio-economic realities of the
people. From thence, corresponding pastoral
programs and structures were
established.
The
Bishop , the Shepherd of his flock
With a clear pastoral direction the Bishop
went about fulfilling the mandate
of Jesus
through the three-fold mission of teaching, celebrating and serving. To realize the vision, priority was given to building and forming people, the most
important resource of the Diocese namely: the clergy, religious and lay people.
In order that they can become effective
Agents of Evangelization. , they formed themselves as a Community of Christ’s Disciples. To be able
to meet the pastoral needs of the people, various pastoral programs and projects were
established namely: the Catechetical Ministry, Biblical Apostolate, the Social
Action Program, Catholic Education, the Broadcast Media through the radio
stations DZWM-AM and DWTJ-FM.
Important structures were put up
to be able to implement the various pastoral programs and ministries and
fulfill the vision, mission and goals of the Diocese. These include the
following namely: Parish and barangay churches/convents, the Curia office, Catholic schools ( pre-school, elementary,
High school and the Colegio de San Jose
) Pastoral Center and offices, Radio
stations-AM and FM, College Seminary,
Shepherd’s Home ( home for the retired priests) and the last to be put up was the Bishop’s residence.
The Pastoral
Visits
In
order to build the Community of
believers, the Bishop went to his people. He visited them in their communities
through the Basic ecclesial Communities (BECs) to quench their thirst for the Word of God, to feed them with the
message of God’s love and assure
them of His mercy, to heal the sick, to touch the old and the
children, to encourage fathers and mothers to carry out
their important role as co-creator of God. He went from parish to parish
celebrating the Sacraments, proclaiming the Gospel and assuring the people
especially the “unchurched” of the love of God. Before he retired he covered about 85% of the
334 barangays of the Diocese.
The
pastoral visits are occasions for the people to realize their connectedness with the
whole Church. With the Bishop as
their Pastor in their midst who teaches, prays and sanctifies them through the Eucharistic celebration and the Sacraments,
they feel Christ’s presence in themselves, in their families and in their BECs. Both near and far, crossing the seas and rivers
even climbing the mountains. He has
given priority to the farthest barangays, to bring Christ to the people and bring the people to Christ,
to bring people to the Church and bring the Church to the people. The pastoral visitation enabled the bishop to know the people not only by
their faces but also by their names.
Jesus Himself called his people by their names. He also called them friends.
And when people are friends there is Christ’s
Church .
The Diocesan Pastoral Assemblies strengthen the Community of
Christ’s Disciples:
The
Bishop has instituted the process of dialogue, consultation and communication
in different levels: in the BECs and
parishes, among organizations and movements. To ensure the participation
of a wider sector of the Church in the
task of building the Diocese he has called for Diocesan Pastoral
Assemblies. It is a mechanism which
allowed the clergy, religious and lay
leaders to gather and together look into the prevailing pastoral realities,
needs and concerns, identify the causative factors, and focus on the priorities.
Recommendations on how to respond
to the identified priorities are
either classified as operational or as
doctrinal in orientations. The recommendations that fall under the operational
are translated into programs
Corresponding programs and projects are identified to translate the The
operational recommendations
Corresponding programs are classified The Pastoral Assembly has been an effective pastoral
process . He introduced the Pastoral
Assembly as a process of making alive Christ’s Church is a loving relationship.
It is characterized by the 4 C’s
of cooperation, communication, collaboration and coordination with Charity at
the core. The Church as a community is
alive when people are participating in
her life and mission. To make
this possible the Bishop embarked on enabling programs so that the lay people
especially can fully participate in the mission of renewal and
evangelization.
The turn-over
The task of building the
Church in western Pangasinan has taken its toll on the health of the Bishop.
After 22 years of building, forming, and
serving the people of the Diocese the Bishop
opted to retire at 67 years old, way
before the mandatory age of retirement. He asked
the Holy Father for a Co-Adjutor
Bishop, who can take over the reins of
the Diocese. Bishop Marlo Peralta was
appointed and, after one year of
accompaniment, he fully took
over the administration and management of the Diocese upon his installation as the second Bishop of the Diocese of
Alaminos in 2007.
Hi! I would like to reconnect with Bishop Jesus Cabrera. My family used to visit them whenever we have a vacation in Mangaldan , Malabago, Panggasinan. The family was so kind and hospitable to us especially to my mom, Carolina (Cabrera Ellano) Otadoy Chavez. I remember Lolo Isidro would visit us at Ba-eh Araw's place which is just few meters away from his ancestral house...hope to visit you one day. You are a blessing to so many people in dire need of your help by the power of Almighty God. Cheers to a long life, Bishop Jesus Cabrera!!! - Nenen Otadoy Chavez Li (daughter of Carolina) nenchali@yahoo.com -