Fr. Joe Arong (April 4, 1937-December 7, 2014)
Breaking News • 22:58 PM Wed Dec 10, 2014
2,589
By:
Edwin Fernandez
Fr. Jose Arong, OMI with Miss Lea Salonga in this file photo in the United States (Photo by US Oblate Media)
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate is
mourning the demise of Fr. Jose Roberto Arong, OMI.
Fr. Arong, more known as Fr. Joe,” died while driving in the state of
California on December 7.
The OMIs in United States said he was driving on his way to an event
and must have felt bad and pulled over on the (road) shoulder and was found
dead,” Fr. Larry de Guia, OMI provincial superior, said as he announced to
fellow Oblates on Monday afternoon the sad newsduring a gathering.
His Eminence Orlando Cardinal B.
Quevedo, in his mass Wednesday during the confirmation of Notre Dame University
Elementary Training Department Grade Six pupils, urged the NDU community to
pray for Fr. Joe.
Cardinal Quevedo said Fr. Arong
replaced him as NDU president in 1976.
He said Fr. Arong was best remembered
as educator andre-builder” of NDU after the devastating earthquake that destroyed the university’s
Science Building,” among others.
He was very hard worker, he built the
dormitories in and out of university, he built housing for teachers, he built
the NDU gymnasium and was responsible for putting up of earth fill in what is
now known as the NDU soccer field. That
was swampy before,” he recalled as he urged the NDU community to pray for the
repose of the soul of Fr. Joe.
Fr. Joe was born on
April 4, 1937. He took his first vows in 1959, his perpetual vows in 1962 and
was ordained priest on April 4, 1966.
Fr. Eliseo Mercado, OMI, also former NDU president, said Fr. Joe has a
Doctorate degree in International Development Education from Stanford
University, a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the same university, a
Master’s Degree in Philosophy from the San Jose Seminary.Fr. Mercado wroteand He spent his early
missionary life in the Vicariate of Jolo. His exploits as a missionary and
educator in Ungus Matata, Bongao and Jolo were well known.
From Jolo, he moved
to Cotabato City and assumed the presidency of the University and rebuilt the
institution heavily damaged by the killer earthquake in 1976.
Like almost every
Cebuano, he sings and he can bring down the house” during a performance.”
Fr. Mercado said Fr. Joe was Assistant Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Oakland,
California. Before that, he served as Pacific Area Superior, Provincial liaison
for the Office of Mission Enrichment and Oblate Associates, and Vocation
Director. When asked to be the spiritual director for a Cursillo group, Fr. Joe
introduced them to the charism of St. Eugene and the Oakland, CA Associates
began their journey.
Quoting Oblate Associates National
Committee website, Fr. Mercado said Fr. Joe, the Area Superior of the Pacific
Area of the U.S. Province, was recently reappointed by the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) Committee on Migration, to another two year term as
the National Consultant for the Filipino Apostolate in the United States.
His role is to serve
as a liaison between the pastoral agents in the Filipino community and the
Bishops' Committee on Migration. (Edwin Fernandez)