THOMASIAN Bishop Emeritus Jose Crisologo Sorra of the Diocese of Legazpi, who was the oldest bishop in the Philippines, passed away at midnight of Jan. 21. He was 91.
Sorra died due to “respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary embolism, ” Bishop Joel Baylon, the bishop of Legazpi, said in a statement.
Sorra was the first chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Episcopal Commission on Youth when it was established in 1986.
He was born on March 9, 1929 in Malanao, Albay and was ordained a priest on March 17, 1956.
Sorra earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and in science education at UST. He also finished his doctorate degree in humanities at the University in 1999.
In 1974, Sorra served as bishop of the Diocese of Virac in Catanduanes, where he established the first youth apostolate—a ministry that develops the youth’s moral and spiritual formation—in the country.
In 1993, the prelate was appointed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Legazpi and held the post until his retirement on April 1, 2005.
His wake will be until Jan. 26 and will conclude with a farewell Mass at the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral in Albay.
His funeral will be held at Virac, Catanduanes. Sophia T. Sadang with reports from Jamilah Mae B. Angco and Christine Joyce Paras
