Msgr. Edrod, our link with the past

Monsignor Edgar Villalus Rodriguez links us easily to our so-called ecclesiastical past. Together with the now deceased Fr. Paul Cunanan, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1966 at the San Pedro Cathedral by the late Archbishop Clovis Thibault, P.M.E., the first archbishop of the archdiocese of Davao. These two newly ordained are considered the first native diocesan priests from Davao. They are the first fruits of the missionary work of the Canadian missionary group called Pretres des Missions Etrangère (Priests of the Foreign Missions). From 1938 onwards this missionary society built the faith communities, formed the native clergy, established schools and churches in what now comprise the Archdiocese of Davao, Diocese of Tagum, Diocese of Digos, and Diocese of Mati.

Father “Edrod”, as he is fondly called by friends, received his seminary formation together with Fr. Cunanan, first at the St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Davao and later at the Jesuit-run San Jose Major Seminary in the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Fr. Edrod worked as assistant parish priest under the PME missionaries in several parishes. As he grew pastorally mature, he later accepted to be full time parish priest especially in Calinan. He was also assigned in Sto. Rosario Parish, Toril and St. Jude Parish, Malvar. His pastoral zeal and experience prepared him for an important future ministry which he still handles until now: the ministry of spiritual director of seminarians.

To prepare him for this, Archbishop Thibault sent him to the Dominican University, The Angelicum, in Rome where he studied Christian spirituality. Back in Davao the second Archbishop of Davao, Antonio Ll. Mabutas, assigned him as senior spiritual director of the St. Francis Xavier College Seminary. On my part I appointed him also as chaplain of the Santo Nino Shrine which he still holds.

One tribute that can be offered to Msgr. Rodriguez on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood is to formally recognize him as our priestly link with our ecclesiastical past. The Archdiocese can benefit from important pastoral and Church events in the past that Msgr. Edrod can recall which can serve as a good lesson for the present and the future especially in the area of missionary work or evangelization.

We have much to learn from the PME and Maryknoll missionaries. The Maryknollers though mainly concentrated in Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental were close partners of the PMEs especially in the Regional Major Seminary and in the establishment of the GKKs (Gagmy’ng Kristohanong Katilingban). For Jose Rizal’s dictum is always correct: “Ang hindi lumingon sa kanyang pinanggalingan ay hindi makarating sa kanyang paroroonan” (He who does not know where he came from will not know where he is going.)

On May 1, 2016 Golden Jubilarian Msgr. Ed, a prayerful priest, zealous parish priest and dedicated seminary spiritual director, following the advice of St. John Paul II on how to celebrate a jubilee, will now “remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm and look to the future with confidence” (On the Coming of the Third Millenium).