0
0
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Cyril “Jojo” Villareal, a priest of the Archdiocese of Capiz, as the new Bishop of Kalibo. The announcement was made on Saturday, January 24, marking a new chapter of leadership for the Diocese of Kalibo.
Fr. Villareal, 51, succeeds Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc, who retired in June 2025 after nearly fourteen years of dedicated pastoral service to the diocese.
Born in March 1974, Bishop-elect Villareal pursued his philosophical studies at St. Pius X Seminary in Roxas City and completed his theological formation at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 2001.
He holds a master’s degree in higher religious studies and a licentiate in sacred theology from UST. He further earned a master’s degree in moral theology from the University of Vienna in Austria.
From 2005 to 2010, Villareal served the Filipino Catholic community in Austria as assistant chaplain of the Filipino Catholic Chaplaincy in the Archdiocese of Vienna and as assistant priest at the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Earlier in his ministry, he was assistant dean of theology at the Sancta Maria Mater et Regina Seminarium in Roxas City from 2000 to 2004.
Since July 2024, he has been serving as parish priest of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Dao, Capiz.
Bishop-elect Villareal also held key leadership roles in the Archdiocese of Capiz. He served as vicar general during the tenure of Cardinal Jose Advincula as archbishop and was later elected archdiocesan administrator during the sede vacante following Cardinal Advincula’s transfer to the Archdiocese of Manila in June 2021. He remained in this role until Archbishop Victor Bendico assumed leadership of the archdiocese in May 2023. He likewise served as rector of Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion in Roxas City.
The Filipino Catholic Chaplaincy in Vienna, where he ministered during his years of study, expressed its joy and gratitude in a public message: “Your service in the Filipino Catholic Chaplaincy here in Vienna belongs to the past, yet it continues to live on in our grateful memories. We are thankful for your service and witness, and we assure you of our prayers as you begin this new mission of shepherding God’s people in Kalibo.”
The Diocese of Kalibo and the wider Church in the Philippines welcome Bishop-elect Villareal with joy and prayerful support as he prepares to take on his new mission of pastoral leadership.
- Hector Pascua/picture: (1) Facebook
This post has already been read 15 times!
