Diocese of Sorsogon and of Romblon

In 2014, when I first visited what is now St. Augustine Parish in Gubat, Sorsogon in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, it was still more of a construction site than a church.

Philippines retired bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD (Society of the Divine Word), Bishop Emeritus of Sorsogon and of Romblon, 80, passed away at around 6:30 a.m. on World Mission Sunday, Oct. 20, at the house of his brother in Cainta in Rizal, confirmed the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) confirmed in a Facebook post.