Papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown blessed the Diocese of Borongan’s new Priests’ Home on Thursday, describing it as a place where elderly and retired clergy can experience care, fraternity and the love of the Church.
The blessing followed a Mass at the Borongan Cathedral and marked Brown’s first pastoral visit to the diocese in Eastern Samar province since arriving in the country in late 2020.
Reflecting on Jesus’ commandment to love God and neighbor, the papal envoy said the new facility should be understood not merely as a building but as a true home.
“A home is something more than a house,” Brown said in his homily. “It’s love that makes a house a home.”
He said the residence would provide refuge and support for retired and sick priests while reflecting the Church’s mission of communion and charity.
“It’s not just a building,” he said. “It’s a place where priests can find refuge, but also find love, because it’s love that makes a house a home.”
The nuncio was accompanied by Archbishop John Du Palo. Bishop Nolly Buco of Catarman also attended the event.
The new Priests’ Home is part of a larger multipurpose structure envisioned by Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan to serve both the clergy and the wider diocesan community.
Appeal for continued support
Varquez said the facility will function as a residence for elderly and sick priests, a formation center, a diocesan museum and an evacuation center for poor families during emergencies and natural disasters.
“The building is still in its final touches,” the bishop said, noting that approximately 7 million pesos is still needed to complete the project.
He appealed for continued support from benefactors and faithful, describing the undertaking as “an expression of our love to the Church, our love to the clergy, the religious and our lay people as one local Church.”
Located in Oikos Village in Brgy. Balud 2, the two-story structure occupies a 2,173-square-meter site. Construction began in March 2023 through donations from benefactors, parishes, families and church groups in and outside the diocese.
The facility replaces the diocese’s first Priests’ Home, which was built behind the minor seminary in Brgy. Campesao and blessed in 2010 by Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, former apostolic nuncio to the Philippines.
The previous facility was vulnerable to flooding because of its location near a river, prompting the transfer to higher and safer ground.
