Keeping Bishop Ner’s memory

(An excerpt of the homily of the Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Wake Mass in loving Memory of Most Rev. Nereo P. Odchimar, D.D., San Pedro Cathedral Parish, February 3, 2024)

So I think, exactly one month, 4 bishops in Mindanao died. When the news came to me, that Bishop Ner died, of course I know that he was staying in Davao and in the last days mostly in the hospital, San Pedro, we had a meeting Feb. 1, I was presiding the meeting and I was told Bishop Ner passed away so I walked out of the room and called Bishop Raul of Tandag; the phone rang and rang but no answer, I went back to the meeting, and then soon after, a few minutes, Bishop Raul called back and I went out of the room and told him, “Bishop Raul, condolence, and quickly I would not take up your time, we know that he died in Davao, he is here, please tell me what we can do to help you, we’ll do our best to assist you.” “Salamat Archbishop Muloy I’ll call you back, the news just sank in.” So I went back to the meeting and waited, the meeting went on and he called back again, and he said, “can we please request you that Bishop Ner would be waked, ang iyang wake will be in Davao from February 1 to 4,” We will gladly do it for Bishop Ner and for you and for Tandag, yes we will!” But I was saying that minutes I will leave for the airport, because I have to go to Manila for another commitment and I knew that Bishop Raul was going to the same event, so I knew, maybe he did not know that I would be there but I knew that he would be there.

February 1 to 4, ang wake sa Davao, while going to the airport, I called up the Cathedral, I called up Msgr. Paul, I called up many people, I called up Bishop George who presided the first mass here, in the evening and then I’m happy that my classmate Bishop Jimmy of Digos, came last night to say the Eucharist in his wake. And I planned that I come this evening, I just arrived mid-afternoon today, we also had to prepare something. I guess we have to address the issue how we will bring his body to Tandag because of the flooding. So true enough, I tried to contact people, the real condition of roads and they were very alarmed, so when I came back, I also did some background work with the deacons, what we can do hopefully that would be solved by tomorrow…he will be transported by helicopter to Tandag. You pray that will succeed for tomorrow.

I know you understand that we are doing this because Bishop Nereo worked for us, worked for the people of God, worked for the Lord and for the Church. It’s the least we can do to honor him, to show that we deeply appreciated what he did as a priest and bishop of the church serving the people of God in Tandag. Let me continue by saying this, quite a number of times, when we or at least myself, celebrate the Mass for the dead, I’m quite sure that the people attending, at least many people attending would appreciate the Mass, but there are cases, when somehow you question whether the dead likes it, he likes the mass, but we just go on. Okay lang siya but we, ang mga living would like to do it. Isn’t it beautiful that we like to do it, to pray together, to say the Mass and the person himself, in this case Bishop Nereo, likes what we are doing?

My dear friends, this evening we can simply say that Bishop Ner, greatly appreciates what we are doing for him, as we pray for him in this sacrifice of the Mass; because he would be the first one to believe the wonder, the beauty, the grace of what we are doing to honor him, to keep his memory in our hearts by having a Mass for him. Continuously, I hope in these days until his funeral mass on February 9 in Tandag.