Priest from Negros Prefect Apostolic in Marshall Islands

Priest from Binalbagan appointed Prefect Apostolic in Marshall Islands
Vatican Information Service

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Raymundo Sabio M.S.C., formerly a missionary in Korea, as apostolic prefect of the Marshall Islands (area 181, population 50,874, Catholics 4,601, priests 7, permanent deacons 1, religious 14). He succeeds Fr. James C. Gould S.J., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same apostolic prefecture the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

NER/.../SABIO VIS 071221 (80)

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Father Raymundo Taco Sabio MSC was born in Tabungan, Iloilo, on 2 March 2 1946. His family moved to Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, in 1950. He was ordained as a priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC) on 27 December 1971. [Source: http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsabio.html .]

A Prefecture Apostolic is what might be called an 'infant diocese'. It is usually in a mission area and not yet self-sustaining. Sometimes the person in charge is a bishop, sometimes not. Father Sabio’s predecessor is a Jesuit from New York. A Prefecture Apostolic with a Filipino bishop is that of Ulaanbatar, which covers the whole of Mongolia. Bishop Wenceslao S. Padilla CICM is the first bishop ever in that country and is the first Filipino to be appointed bishop of a jurisdiction overseas.

Father Sabio is serving in the Marshall Islands after many years in South Korea where he was a chaplain in these fields: Apostleship of the Sea; the welfare of foreign workers; Incheon International Airport. His brother, Father Generoso, ‘Gene,’ is now based in the USA (San Bernardino California) after having worked for six years as Third Assistant General of the MSCs in Rome. Father Gene has a website at
http://web.tiscali.it/gene.sabio/ while Father Raymundo, ‘Ray,’ has two: http://www.geocities.com/haeyangrts/AoS.html and http://m-jpic.tripod.com/raysabio/ . Their sister, Sister Fidelis T. Sabio PBVM is the first Filipino member of the Presentation Sisters who came from Ireland 50 years ago. She is assigned to Scala Retreat House, Bacolod City.

The new Prefect Apostolic has an article about Sister Fidelis in the March-April 2007 issue of Misyon, http://www.misyononline.com/mar-apr-07/html/vocation_story.html