Embracing God’s Call

On a rainy morning on June 20, 2024, the Archdiocese of Davao radiated with excitement and deep happiness as Rev. Ranie Boy Labadan Pamplona embraced the sacred calling of the priesthood through his ordination.

His ordination at his home parish, St. Joseph The Worker located at Sasa, Davao City was during a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Archbishop of Davao, Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D.

The ordination rites was a testament to the strong bonds of the community, as it was graced by the presence of numerous priests and deacons from the archdiocese and the neighboring dioceses, as well as the loving support of the family, relatives, and friends.

During his homily, Archbishop Valles looked at Reverend Pamplona and explained the significance of the gospel to his ordination into the priesthood.

“Ranie Boy, the gospel says, and I say it to you with all of us around you, the gospel says, ‘remain in my love.’ That’s a challenge not only for you but for us. But in a special way for those who present themselves to be ordained as a priest,” said Most. Rev. Romulo G. Valles.

He ended his sermon by saying: “Ranie Boy, soon you’ll be ordained. God’s grace is with you, with your family, with the family of St. Joseph; we sing forever the goodness of the Lord.”

In his speech before the final prayer, the newly ordained Rev. Fr. Ranie Boy Labadan Pamplona gave thanks to God for all the blessings and praises he had received, including the grace of the priesthood. He also thanked the people who supported him on his journey toward his ordination, including his family, friends, various priests, fellow deacons, faculty and staff from the seminary, servers and parishioners, the archbishop, among others.

“To be honest, I should never have accepted the vocation the Lord had given me because of my limitations and weaknesses. If not for God’s goodness, which I always experience in my life, I said to myself: ‘Ikaw nay bahala tanan, Lord. Not my will – not my will, but yours be done.’ Indeed, our Lord has never left me, and He even gave me people who became part of my journey towards my dream of becoming a priest, and now I am living that dream,” said the newly ordained priest Rev. Fr. Ranie Boy Labadan Pamplona. (Alessandro V. Millabe | AdDU Intern | Photos by DCH and Brenda P. Milan)