Till I Meet My Bishop Again

In my college years, Sunday mass was something I would look forward to. The 6 pm mass in particular. No less then than the parish priest of San Fernando De Dilao (Paco, Manila), Bishop Teodoro "Ted" C. Bacani, was officiating more often than not. I had this peculiar liking for him, perhaps because he bore some resemblance to my father: bespectacled, wide forehead, such features I took as representative of their wisdom. In terms of behavior, though, they were completely opposites. My father is always reticent about his thoughts, while Bishop Bacani is fittingly eloquent. I am almost sure all of us in the parish loved the Bishop for he had a very unique gift of touching our hearts with his homilies. He imparted Church teachings without sounding critical or judgmental. He was never the preachy type. Not at all. Often, he would speak of common people's misguided ways and make fun of them. But certainly not in an offensive manner. On the contrary, he used his good-natured humor to make everyone feel that imperfections are as human as can be. And that at the end of the day, as long as we have faith, we are all capable of receiving God' grace. Restoration. Healing. Forgiveness. Amen? Amen! Bishop always ended his homilies this way.

Sadly, my zest for Sunday mass has never been the same again. Bishop Bacani had to transfer to another parish (somewhere in Novaliches I think), while I too had built a life of my own in a new home. I vaguely remember enjoying Sunday mass (in those rare times that I went to one) as much as I did with Bishop Bacani at the helm.

But very recently, a college friend posted on Facebook that Bishop Bacani has been in the parish again. I wasted no time messaging my friend, short of begging her to give notice when Bishop Bacani will be on that familiar pulpit again. She promised she would let me know, expressing her wondrous disbelief that Bishop Bacani has not changed a bit. And so, my hopes right now are definitely high, what with the possibility of meeting Bishop again, and hearing that one homily that just might resurrect my dormant faith anew. I am really looking forward to that day for after all these years, "Pareng Ted" (as what my church companion during those days and I would call him) is still my epitome of the perfect bishop for the very imperfect me.