Pope Francis appoints new bishop for Tandag, Philippines

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Bishop-elect Dael was born in October 1966 in Jasa-an in the province of Misamis Oriental located in the Northern Mindanao region of the Philippines. After completing his studies in Philosophy at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, the provincial center of Misamis Oriental, he studied Theology at Saint John Vianney Seminary in the same city. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro in June 1993. He began his priestly ministry as Parochial Vicar of the Metropolitan Cathedral. In 1995 he was reassigned as Parochial Administrator of St Peter the Apostle parish located in Sugbongcon in Misamis Oriental.

In 1997 he initiated a 3-year Masters in Theology at Loyola School of Theology of the Ateneo de Manila University. Returning to Cagayan de Oro, he was Professor and Director of spiritual and pastoral formation at John Vianney Seminary of Theology. From 2003-2009 he studied spirituality at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. On his return to the Philippines, he became Professor of Pastoral Theology at John Vianney Seminary once again. From 2016 to the present he has been carrying out the role of Vicar for Clergy for the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro.