Bishop Roberto Mallari was installed as the fourth bishop of Tarlac on Thursday, calling on Catholics to respond to God’s call to serve.
“This is not just a new beginning for me. It is a new beginning for all of us,” Mallari said during his installation Mass at the San Sebastián Cathedral in Tarlac City.
“God is calling us to respond to the challenge of His will—the challenge of transformation for priests, religious, and the laity, especially the youth and our brothers and sisters in politics who strive to be in positions of service,” he said.
Mallari, the former bishop of San Jose de Nueva Ecija, was named by Pope Francis on Dec. 29, 2024 to replace the late Bishop, who passed away in October 2023.
The diocese had been sede vacante since then, and for nearly 17 months, it was under the care of Fr. O’Neal Sanchez as diocesan administrator.
Archbishop Charles Brown, the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, said that with Mallari’s arrival, the Church of Tarlac “is no longer widowed.”
“Today, it is once again reborn with the installation of your new bishop,” he said.
The installation took place in the presence of many bishops, priests, religious, lay faithful, and government leaders.
Among those in attendance were Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the bishop of Kalookan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
It was a triple celebration for the diocese, as Mallari also marked his 67th birthday and the 19th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
As bishop of Tarlac, Mallari will lead a diocese with 105 priests, 72 parishes, and more than 1.2 million Catholics.
