Bishop Felix Paz Perez, the second Bishop of the Diocese of Imus in Cavite, Philippines is one of those individuals who “embody those ‘convictions’ that are at the core of the Christian faith.” He is a holy man of the Church (Brown, Escaler, Matanguihan, Mendoza). He was one of the so-called “Magnificent Seven” of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) during the martial law years. He loved the nation so dearly, served in all honesty, and offered everything within his capacity so that future generations may dwell in a country where there is freedom, justice, integrity, pride, independence, and loyalty, qualities of a modern Filipino hero.

Bishop Perez’s life as a bishop may be considered as an epitome of a servant of God, a true and faithful disciple of Jesus. The underlying theme of Bishop Perez’s social praxis is a life of true discipleship as summed up in his epitaph, “My reason for dying is for Jesus and the people…therefore, my reason for living is for the same Jesus and the people whom I have loved.” These words truly define the quintessence of the late Bishop’s person and social praxis, and capture his convictions as a servant of the Church and a faithful disciple who did tread the footsteps of the Lord Jesus.

What does it entail to become a disciple of Jesus? Bishop Perez said that discipleship is “a permanent and life-long commitment to personally follow Jesus and no one else (“1993 Notes”).” He firmly believed that a disciple, one, is ready to forget himself (the most profound sense of spiritual poverty), two, is able to carry his cross, and three, decides to follow Jesus (“1983 Notes”). Found in his various retreat notes for priests of the Diocese, the Bishop elaborated that the life of a true disciple is a

• Life lived to the full…not a set of rules, but an encounter with the risen Lord;
• Continuing call of the Risen Jesus…within the community of faith;
• Total transformation of life;
• Pattern of living out the gospel in the highest degree possible with the assistance of God’s grace and as a consequence of his election of the disciple (“1983 Notes”).

Yet, there are demands of discipleship. There is a continuing call to purify one’s convictions in the process of following the Lord Jesus. The path to discipleship may be divided into three stages: stage of preparation, stage of calling, stage of following. Each stage is a period of discovery, learning, and an ongoing formation that deepens one’s vocation in and through various experiences. Let us now follow the journey of Bishop Perez as a faithful disciple of Jesus particularly during the period when he became the local ordinary of the Diocese of Imus.

Bishop Perez advocated lay empowerment in the Diocese. For instance, he allowed the installation of women lay ministers of the Eucharist long before this was considered in other Dioceses. An anecdote that took place in 1979 further illustrates this. The parishioners of St. Augustine in Mendez, Cavite, staged a rally against a decision of the Diocese that concerned their parish priest. When the Bishop came to speak with the people, he was not allowed to enter the vicinity, and the lay people even razed the tires of his vehicle. The reverend Bishop saw the rainbow behind that storm. He affirmed the people’s action as something he really wanted the laity to embrace; that they become aware and get involved in the events pertinent to the community (Brown). Hence to deepen the laity’s appreciation of their dignity, there is a need to strengthen the Church’s basic unit, the family.

Bishop Perez realized the importance of priestly formation fitted for his Diocese. In 1970, he established the Our Lady of the Pillar Minor Seminary, and in 1975, the Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol, the major seminary of the Diocese. The formation in these seminaries was quite pioneering or that time.

Always a visionary, on the occasion of the Diocesan celebration of its 25th founding anniversary in 1986, Bishop Perez issued a Pastoral Letter containing the thrusts that he believed the Diocese must take on in the following 25 years. These are:

• First, let us praise and thank our provident Father;
• Second, let us ask for forgiveness for all our sins and shortcomings against God and our brethren;
• Third, let us think about the past, so we could nurture and allow the fruition of the seeds of goodness that have been sown in the province;
• Fourth, let us reflect on our iniquities, so we would never repeat the mistakes and failures of the past;
• Five, let us assiduously plan about the Mission in Cavite which must be responsive to the signs of the times;
• Six, let us continue to pray that God may guide us all as we journey towards becoming a Church that is God-centered, people-oriented and community-directed (in De los Reyes 34).

Bishop Perez so desired to lead the entire people of God towards the realization of these goals. Hence, he signed a memorandum for an assembly mandating a Diocesan Synod.

Nearly 30 years have passed since the canonical erection of the Diocese of Imus. Within that time, the conditions concerning the clergy and the faithful of this Diocese have changed enormously: trends in the theological and canonical perspectives, pastoral approaches and structures, various needs and questions have arisen. Notwithstanding is the implementation of the PCP II Declarations and Resolutions

Therefore, following the prescriptions of the 1983 Code, and after deep consideration and consultation, I have decided to convoke the First Diocesan Synod, in which you, Reverend and dear Fathers, together with the laity will be consulted and asked to give your opinion so that all the needs of the Diocese of Imus may be answered and discussed (“Declaration”).

Bishop Perez did not live long enough to harvest the fruits of his labor. The reverend Bishop passed away on February 29, 1992. It was his successor, Manuel C. Sobreviñas, who moved towards fulfilling the latter’s dreams. The First Diocesan Pastoral Assembly was held on February 22-27, 1999, at the Development Academy of the Philippines in Tagaytay City.

To become a Christian community that is God-centered – people-oriented, promotes life, cares for the environment, and nationalist; disciples of Christ and a Church of the Poor, committed to and involved in the transformation of the society with the help of Mary, Our Lady of the Pillar (Diocese of Imus 1). The content of this vision was the result of an in-depth reflection and prayers of all those priests, religious, and lay people present during the assembly. Reading through it, the vision is but an articulation of what was in the mind and heart of Bishop Perez.

The statement is an expression of obedience to The Good Shepherd, Jesus himself who declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).”