Ex-Bicol Archbishop Legaspi, first Filipino UST rector, dies at 78

Legaspi died at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital at 5 a.m., according to an article posted on the CBCP news site.

The CBCP article said Legaspi was the first Filipino rector of UST, serving from 1971 to 1977. He also headed the CBCP from 1988 to 1991.

 

"Known for his deep devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Bicolandia’s patroness, Archbishop Legaspi spent hours before the miraculous icon praying he survive the disease until after the 300th anniversary celebration of the devotion in September 2010. He was found to be suffering from lung cancer in 2009," the CBCP said.

 

The CBCP article also noted that the death of Legaspi, a Dominican prelate, coincided with the Feast of Saint Dominic.

 

His remains lie in state at the UST Chapel until Monday, August 11, and will be brought to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City from August 11 to 13.

 

Legaspi will be buried at the Santuario de Santo Domingo after a 2 p.m. Mass at the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.

 

Memorial contributions may be made to The Fund for Retired and Sick priests during the funeral wake in Naga City or The Fund for the Educational Assistance of the Seminarians of the Dominican Province of the Philippines during the funeral wake in Manila.

 

Incumbent Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tria-Tirona and the Brothers of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, his family and friends request prayers for his eternal rest.

 

Legaspi was born in Meycauayan, Bulacan on Nov. 25, 1935. He was ordained to the Order of Preachers on December 17, 1960. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Manila at age 41 on June 25, 1977. He was ordained to the episcopate on Aug. 8, 1977.

 

At the age of 47, Legaspi was named archbishop of Caceres on Oct. 20, 1983. He retired Sept. 8, 2012 at age 76. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News