Bishop Napoleon Sipalay formally assumed the role of the new shepherd of Alaminos on Tuesday, assuring a diocese that “walks side by side” with the people.
Sipalay, 53, presided over his first Mass as bishop at the Alaminos Cathedral since he took his cathedra — or episcopal seat — after showing the congregation the official decree from Pope Francis.
He becomes the fourth bishop of the 39-year-old diocese.
His installation took place a day after he was ordained to the episcopate at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.
In his homily, he emphasized that building the Church concerns not only bishops, priests, and the religious, but all the baptized.
“Let us look to the task before us— the task of building the Church,” Sipalay said.
“Let us walk together, let us journey together for the common good of this diocese. Let us build this Church together,” he said.
As Dominican priest for 26 years, the new bishop admitted he had doubts about his new role.
Describing himself as a “kindergarten bishop,” Sipalay said that he came to the diocese “to learn and to listen.”
“He has to study how it is to be one,” Sipalay said. “But we can’t go on studying, we have to learn.”
Alaminos has been without a bishop for the past four years after Archbishop Ricardo Baccay was transferred to the Tuguegarao archdiocese.
