1 week Ago By Interaksyon
Retired Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan has been toying on the idea of writing about Tuguegarao Archdiocese since early 2011. The result of his long-awaited effort, titled “ Growing in Age, Wisdom, and Grace ,” with the subtitle “ Journey of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao 1910-2020 ,” was recently published. “This book is long overdue,” Talamayan said, adding that many factors delayed its completion, including typhoons, the transfer of his residence, and a period of his hospitalization.
“[But] it is said: better late than never.” The book is a historical account of the ecclesiastical territory, which he oversaw for about 25 years as archbishop. Turning 93 in October, the archbishop has lived through nine decades of the 100 years covered in the book, which includes personal anecdotes, reflections, discernment and theological insights.
More than an academic endeavor, it reflects the faith journey of the people of Cagayan province from the founding of parishes, schools, and Basic Ecclesial Communities. The book is also enriched with references to many sources, particularly the lives of the archdiocese’s past bishops. “Throughout my research and interviews, I found out how bravely our people kept the faith,” he said.
“We cannot but admire our ancestors’ efforts to make our Christianization continue.” Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, lauded Talamayan’s efforts to document the local Church’s history. History, he said, is not just about narrating facts or recalling past events but about making sense of them—“interpreting them in a manner that makes us understand who we are in the present and what lies ahead of us in the future.
” “And that, I believe, is what [Archbishop Talamayan] is doing in that book— to make sense of history,” David said. Ordained priest for what was then Diocese of Tuguegarao in 1956, Talamayan earned Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the University of Santo Tomas in 1957 and Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain in 1961. He also obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain in 1962.
In 1970, Talamayan earned a masters degree in teacher education from Columbia University in New York. Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Tuguegarao in October 1983. He was ordained to the episcopate on Jan.
12, 1984. In January 1986, he was named archbishop of Tuguegarao..
