Dennis Cabanada Villarojo (born April 18, 1967) is a Filipino prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who is the fifth bishop of the

Diocese of Malolos The Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos (Latin: ''Dioecesis Malolosinae''; Tagalog: ''Diyosesis ng Malolos''; Spanish: ''Diócesis de Malolos'') is a Roman Rite Diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippine, encompassing the ...

in the Philippines.

Early life and studies

He completed his high school formation at the Colegio de San Jose- Recoletos in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

. He entered San Carlos Seminary College of the Archdiocese of Cebu where he finished his philosophical studies. Later, he continued his priestly training at the

Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, where he took his theological studies, and obtained his licentiate degree in Ecclesiastical Philosophy. He was ordained deacon by

Jaime Cardinal Sin Jaime Lachica Sin ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and formally known as Jaime Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardinal from ...

in Manila on 1993. A year later on June 10, 1994, he was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Cebu. For four years, from 1994 to 1998, he was personal secretary of

Ricardo Cardinal Vidal Ricardo Tito Jamin Vidal ( la, Ricardus Titus Vidal; es, Ricardo Tito Vidal y Jamín; (February 6, 1931 - October 18, 2017) was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. Made a cardinal in 1985, he was Archbishop of Cebu from 1982 to 2010. ...

, the Ordinary of the Archdiocese at that time. From 1998 to 2001, Monsignor Villarojo continued his post-graduate studies in Philosophy, in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, at the

Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Pontifical University of the Holy Cross ( la, Pontificia Universitas Sanctae Crucis, it, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce) is a Roman Catholic university under the Curial Congregation for Catholic Education, now entrusted to the Prela ...

, where he earned his doctorate in this discipline. After studying in Rome, he returned to his country and continued, until 2010, to take the task as secretary of Cardinal Vidal and at the same time as coordinator of the pastoral planning board of the archdiocese. Since 2010, Monsignor Villarojo has been the chairman of the pastoral team at the parish of the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City. In 2012, he was also appointed secretary-general of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, which was held in Cebu, in January 2016.

Episcopacy

On 3 July 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

designated Monsignor Villarojo as one of the auxiliary bishops of Cebu. He was consecrated bishop on 10 August 2015 at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Cebu, by Archbishop

José S. Palma José Serofia Palma O.P. (born 19 March 1950) is a Filipino prelate and a professed member of the Dominican Order who is currently serving as the Archbishop of Cebu since 15 October 2010. He had previously served as Archbishop of Palo in L ...

, the current Ordinary of the Archdiocese.

(Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu), and

Giuseppe Pinto Giuseppe Pinto (born 26 May 1952) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He served as an Apostolic Nuncio from 2001 until his retirement in 2020. He joined the diplomatic service of th ...

(Papal Nuncio to the Philippines) were the co-consecrators. On May 14, 2019, Pope Francis has designated Bishop Villarojo as the new bishop of the Diocese of Malolos. He was installed on August 21, 2019 by

Luis Antonio Tagle Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle ( ; ; born June 21, 1957) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church currently serving as the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization (formerly the Congregation for the Evangeli ...

, Archbishop of Manila together with

Gabriele Giordano Caccia Gabriele Giordano Caccia (born 24 February 1958) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has worked in the offices of the Secretariat of State and served as Apostolic Nuncio in Lebano ...

, then Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

Coat of arms

Bishop Villarojo's personal Coat of Arms is

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

ed as follows:

As Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu

Arms: ''Per fesse'', in

dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

base

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

a mullet of six points, and in

sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction " left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see ...

base a

Sun in splendour A representation of the sun is used as a heraldic charge. The most usual form, often called sun in splendour or in his glory, consists of a round disc with the features of a human face surrounded by twelve or sixteen rays alternating wavy and ...

, all Or; in

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

and issuant from the base the Shrine of Magellan's Cross

Proper Proper may refer to: Mathematics * Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact * Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...

. The shield is surmounted by a Bishop's cross and by a Roman galero of this rank, i.e.,

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme vers ...

with six

tassel A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to ...

s of the same pendant (1,2,3) at both sides. The symbolism of the heraldic achievement is as follows: The

Magellan's Cross Magellan's Cross Pavilion is a stone kiosk in Cebu City, Philippines. The structure is situated on Plaza Sugbo beside the Basilica del Santo Niño It houses a Christian cross that was planted by explorers of the Spanish expedition of the first ...

Kiosk in the upper white field (chief Argent) symbolizes his being a Cebuano

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. It is also the 51st International Eucharistic Congress Pilgrim Symbol. Bishop Villarojo is also the

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. The

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

base of the coat of arms represents the

Martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

of Saint Denis, Patron of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, of Saint Pedro Calungsod (a Cebuano

Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

and the 2nd Filipino Saint), and of Saint

Lawrence of Rome Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

(another martyr), whose feast is commemorated by the Catholic Church on August 10 - the day of Bishop Villarojo's

Episcopal Ordination Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

. The color red has also another significance. The Official Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cebu referred to the color's connection with the family name of the Bishop, which is translated in Cebuano as: ''"Adunay kalambigitan sa akong bangsagon nga Villarojo, kinatsila sa "dakong balay o gamayng lungsod nga pula"'' (A big house or a small city of red). The six-pointed star ( mullet of six points) on the

side (right side with reference to the bearer) represents the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

. This star is also a seen on the Image of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Ca ...

. Bishop Villarojo is a member of the Third Order of the Order of the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

. On the

side (left side with reference to the bearer) of the base is a

, which represents the

where he studied

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. The sun is also symbolic of the Light of the Truth - Christ.

As Bishop of Malolos

The shield is surmounted by a Bishop's cross and by a Roman galero of this rank, i.e.,

with six

s of the same pendant (1,2,3) at both sides. The dexter and sinister sides both refer to the bearer. Dexter Chief Canton - The church facade seen on blue background is Nuestra Señora del Carmen Parish, otherwise known as Barasoain Church, the historic venue of the 1899

Malolos Congress The Malolos Congress (also known as the Revolutionary Congress), formally known as the National Assembly, was the legislative body of the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. Members were chosen in the elections held from June 23 to Septe ...

and birthplace of the First Philippine Republic and the Malolos Constitution. Sinister Point - The Magellan’s Cross Kiosk in the upper white field symbolizes Cebu City and the Archdiocese of Cebu, where he hails from and was ordained as a priest. It is also pilgrim symbol of the 51st International Eucharistic, an event where Bishop Villarojo served as secretary-general. It commemorates the City of Malolos as the first capital of the country, making it one of the province’s most historical landmarks. Dexter Base - The three cotton “bulak” flowers on the green field symbolize the Province of Bulacan. The cotton’s Tagalog name is the term from which the province’s name was derived. It also symbolizes the abundance of life and welfare in the province. Sinister Base - The red base of represents the Martyrdom of Saint Denis, patron of Paris, France; of Saint Pedro Calungsod, a Cebuano martyr and the second Filipino saint; and Saint Lawrence of Rome, whose feast is commemorated every August, the day of Bishop Villarojo’s episcopal ordination. Moreover, the Official Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cebu referred to red’s connection with the bishop’s family name, which is translated in Cebuano as adunay kalambigitan sa akong bangsagon nga Villarojo, sa dakong balay o gamayng lungsod nga pula (A big house or small city of red). At the center of this section is a Sun in splendor, representing the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, where he studied Theology. The sun is also symbolic of Christ as Light of the Truth. Center Point - The interwoven “A” and “M” Marian monogram is the Auspice Maria which is Latin for Under the protection of Mary. It also evokes the first two words of the ancient prayer Ave Maria or Haily Mary. The crown with 12 stars refer to the Woman of Revelation (12:1-2). These symbols represent La Virgen Inmaculada Concepcion de Malolos, titular patroness of the Diocese of Malolos, whose image was canonically crowned in 2012 on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the diocese. The cross that divides the blazon is taken from the seal of the diocese, which symbolizes the unwavering love of Christ for humanity. The brown color of the cross symbolizes Bishop Villarojo’s devotion to Mary as a member of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites. Villarojo's motto is taken from the Book of the Prophet

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...

40:1, ''Consolamini Popule Meus'' (“Be consoled my people”).A variant text uses this form: ''Consolamini populus meus'
Isaiah 40:1 (Latin)
/ref>

References