MANILA, Dec. 31, 2014 – Fifteen days before his apostolic visit to the Philippines, His Holiness Pope Francis named Msgr. Marcelino Antonio Maralit, parish priest of Alitagtag, Batangas under the Archdiocese of Lipa, as fourth bishop of Boac, Marinduque.
No date has been set for his episcopal ordination and installation.
Maralit was born in Manila on May 18, 1969 and studied philosophy at St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary in Lipa City. He studied theology at the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, earning a licentiate in Sacred Theology. He also obtained a licentiate in Church History from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
He was ordained priest in the Archdiocese of Lipa on March 13, 1995.
According to Radio Vaticana, the new bishop served as Vicar of the Immaculate Conception parish in Bauan, Batangas from 1995 to 1996; professor at the St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary in Lipa City from 1996-1996; and was earlier Deputy Director of the Diocesan Commission for vocations and later, became director of the same commission.
He was vice chancellor, professor, educator and Dean of Studies at St. Francis Theological Seminary from 2003 to 2009 and Rector of the St. Francis Theological Seminary from 2009 to 2013.
From 2013 until today, Maralit served as pastor of the Invencion de la Santa Cruz parish at Alitagtag and member of the Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Lipa. (Melo M. Acuña/CBCPNews)
