servant of God bp alfredo verzosa (+ 1954 @ 76)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Verzosa

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgqlXRqICnymsPk4QwDtPM3Q5hGAhrGTZNDil2VSXEBk33fIfPfyEi1DaYE1HSe_95wYka3cGTXIEqFWHWeJ0SS6zwsuE5mJZsiKxC92LP3pzXQ1sS-McL8-3isKmN4klP3DP3dreSYZr/s1600/IMG-1317.PNG

>comes from a prominent mestizo family from vigan, ilocos sur

>1st ilocano bishop

>knows as a well-loved, very fatherly shepherd of the church (accompanying erring priests & crying with them, for example; & later, healing from the psychospiritual wounds of the Japanese war)

>known as "the greater builder" for building churches, catechetical centers, seminaries (gave up his bishop's "palace" for the building of a seminary & just rented a house in the city) in the diocese of lipa for ~32 years (with short interval as apostolic administrator of the diocese of nueva segovia)

>asked the SVD fathers to take over the vigan seminary after the jesuits did not want to renew their contract

>did not accept appointment as bishop of nueva segovia because he believed he was needed more in lipa in order to continue with the constructions & plans he started

>founded the missionary catechists of the sacred heart (MCHS), together with widower laura mendoza [later bp alfredo obviar -- bp verzosa's "protege" & later coadjutor & close colleague, would found the MCST (missionary catechists of st there's)]

>ready to die during the Japanese war in 1940s but bravely ushered his flock to American lines

>rebuilt church properties and used his personal inheritance    

>1946 the carmelite nuns finally accepted his invitation to establish a convent in lipa, he gave part of the lot of the seminary

>1948 alleged apparition of our lady, mediatrix of all grace; when he was about to reprimand the sisters to stop talking about the apparition, he was met with a shower of roses, knelt down in prayer, & re-installed the image (but never issued a public declaration because he left the job to the commission)

>1949 stripped of juridical powers of the diocese and replaced by the young manila auxiliary bishop rufino santos while he stayed on the background

>1951 finally resigned as bishop of lipa & retired in vigan (given a personal chaplain priest by bp alfredo obviar of laguna) where he experienced "depression, poverty, and abandonment"

>1954 june 27 died at age 76 being given the last rites by his personal chaplain 

burial place of bp verzosa at the vigan cathedral (same source of picture above)