1. Alfredo Maria Obviar y Aranda was a Filipino prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Catechists of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus.
14 Facts About Alfredo Obviar
1. 2.
Alfredo Maria Obviar y Aranda was born on 29 August 1889 in Mataas na Lupa, Lipa, Batangas to Telesforo Obviar and Florentina Catalina Aranda.
3.
Alfredo Obviar became an orphan at the early age, and was put under the care of his relatives from his mother's side.
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Alfredo Obviar earned his degree in Bachelor of Arts at Ateneo de Manila in 1914, and proceeded to the University of Santo Tomas Pontifical Seminary for his theological studies.
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Alfredo Obviar was Vicar General for the Diocese of Lipa, and was appointed confessor and chaplain of the Carmelite monastery of Lipa.
6.
On March 11,1944, Alfredo Obviar was appointed the first auxiliary bishop of Lipa and titular bishop of Linoe, Turkey.
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Alfredo Obviar was ordained to the episcopate on 29 June 1944, with the Apostolic delegate to the Philippines, Archbishop Guglielmo Piani, as principal consecrator, with Pedro Paulo Santos, Bishop of Caceres, and Cesar Ma.
8.
On 22 January 1951, Alfredo Obviar was installed as Apostolic administrator of the new Diocese of Lucena.
9.
Alfredo Obviar established the Missionary Catechists of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus, with the help of Mother Mercy Medenilla, who became the first superior of the MCST, and has four other women.
10.
Alfredo Obviar ordained Ricardo Jamin Vidal to the priesthood on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1956, in Lucena; Vidal would later become a cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Cebu.
11.
From 11 October 1962 to 8 December 1962, Alfredo Obviar was a Council Father at the first session of the Second Vatican Council.
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Alfredo Obviar served as Bishop of Lucena until his retirement in 1976.
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Alfredo Obviar died at the age of 89, in Lucena, Quezon, on 1 October 1978, on the feast of his patron saint Therese of the Child Jesus.
14.
The beatification process was opened in 2001, Alfredo Obviar was declared Servant of God in 2005.