For Fr. Rufino “Jun” Sescon Jr, the adage “expect the unexpected” has never rung truer.
Pope Francis on December 3 appointed him as the new bishop of the Diocese of Balanga, a role that took him by surprise.
READ: Quiapo Church rector is new Balanga bishop
“I did not expect this,” Sescon admitted in a video message a day after his appointment.
A priest for 26 years, he has only been serving at Quiapo Church since 2022 — his first assignment as rector and parish priest.
As the center of Filipino devotion to the Black Nazarene, the minor basilica is a major assignment, placing him in charge of one of the most prominent churches in the Manila archdiocese.
“Even to be [assigned] here in Quiapo is something I never imagined,” Sescon said.
At 52, he said that to be elevated to the episcopate is an “extraordinary grace… even though I am undeserving.”
“But God’s plan, above all, must prevail… that’s why I wholeheartedly accept this even though I am filled with fear and aware of my shortcomings,” Sescon said.
“I know that what I will bring to this mission is not myself, but what God will do through me for everything is grace,” he added.
The bishop-elect will succeed Bishop Ruperto Santos, who became the bishop of Antipolo in July 2023.
Sescon graduated from San Carlos Seminary, where he studied philosophy and theology, earning master’s degrees in both fields.
After being ordained a priest in 1998, he served as assistant to Cardinal Jaime Sin until 2001 and as secretary from 2001 until the archbishop’s death in 2005.
He also served as the archdiocese’s chancellor from 2008 to 2011 under Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and from 2011 to 2015 under Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
Sescon has repeatedly served as a member of the Presbyteral Council, a body of priests required by canon law to serve as counsel to the archbishop.
Before being assigned to Quiapo Church, he also served as chaplain of Greenbelt Chapel and priest-in-charge of Mary, Mother of Hope Chapel at Landmark, both in Makati City.
Bishop Santos, who led the Balanga diocese for 13 years, said Sescon’s journey of spiritual leadership and pastoral care “has undoubtedly prepared him for this noble responsibility.”
“He is a true gift to the community, bringing hope, wisdom, and divine grace to all who seek comfort and strength in their faith,” Santos said.