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ILOCOS SUR, Philippines – The new archbishop of Nueva Segovia, David William Antonio, was formally installed on Wednesday, January 14, at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption in Santa Maria town, an archdiocese that covers the province of Ilocos Sur.
Thousands of Roman Catholics from across the province attended the ceremony to welcome the 62-year-old prelate.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Antonio as the eighth archbishop of Nueva Segovia on November 4, 2025, following the resignation of Archbishop Marlo Peralta, who had led the archdiocese since 2014. Before his appointment, Antonio served as the bishop of Ilagan, Isabela, beginning in February 2019.
The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia covers the province of Ilocos Sur and has the dioceses of Laoag, Bangued, and Baguio as its suffragans.
Reflecting on the words, “that they may have life, they might have it abundantly,” which inspired his episcopal motto, Antonio urged Catholics to build a Church that serves the poor and values all life.
Among the thousands who attended were 40 bishops and about 400 clergy members from across the country. The Most Reverend Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, presided over the event.
Also present were Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who served as homilist; Jose Advincula of Manila; and Orlando Quevedo, archbishop emeritus of Cotabato, who each delivered a message.
Tagle, whom Antonio described as his “spiritual guide, mentor and role model” while taking his graduate studies in the US, urged the new archbishop to “be a lamb among the sheep” in order to be a “compassionate shepherd.”
“Watch over the flock of this great archdiocese. Watch over yourself… Be a lamb among the sheep. Then you will be, by God’s spirit, a compassionate shepherd who offers his life so that others might live just as Jesus wants you and all his disciples to be,” he said.
Ilocos Sur Governor Jeremias Singson suspended classes at all levels in both public and private schools, and work in public offices in the province because of the event.
“The provincial government recognizes that this installation is a historic milestone and a profound occasion of thanksgiving for the people of Ilocos Sur, as one of its own sons is installed Archbishop of Nueva Segovia,” the governor stated.
‘Serve and listen’
Antonio said he would focus on helping the Church respond to contemporary social issues by listening to communities and strengthening social action as a “concrete expression” of the Gospel.
“If the Lord desires that his people will have life to the full, then the Church… must not remain distant from these realities. We must listen attentively, accompany our people patiently, and respond courageously and efficaciously,” he said.
He stressed that synodality, as the Church’s way of life, should prioritize “fostering a listening Church,” where decisions are based on “prayerful discernment,” and the exercise of authority should be service, “not control.”
“A Church where dialogue replaces suspicion, communion over division. Synodality challenges us to move from a Church that merely does things for people to a Church that walks with people,” Antonio said.
The Church, he emphasized, should be “a Church that nurtures life.” Evangelization, he said, is tied to concrete social commitments.
“We need to be consistent in our preferential love for the poor and vulnerable… a Church that proclaims fullness of life that cannot turn away from hunger, injustice, or exclusion,” he said.
Antonio also said environmental stewardship is “a moral imperative,” emphasizing engagement and collaboration with civil authorities, other sectors, and institutions for the common good, as a “mature and credible” Church.
“We are well aware that the Church does not seek power, but she must always speak with moral clarity. Defend human dignity at all costs and stand with those whose voices are unheard,” Antonio added.
Ilocos Sur’s own
In his message, Cardinal Advincula said there is much to celebrate in Antonio’s installation, as “a son of Ilocos Sur, and so an archbishop of your own.”
A native of Barangay Nagtupacan, Santo Domingo, Antonio studied philosophy at San Pablo Seminary in Baguio City and theology at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology (ICST) in Vigan City.
Quevedo, as archbishop of Nueva Segovia, ordained him in 1988 and sent him to the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he earned a doctorate in theology, graduating summa cum laude.
The cardinal recalled that then-seminarian Antonio suggested conducting lay leadership training after their summer stay in the ecclesiastical communities of the Diocese of Kidapawan.
He served as administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Occidental Mindoro. In Nueva Segovia, he held several roles, including rector of ICST, vicar general, and auxiliary bishop. – Rappler.com
