Servant of God Alfredo Versoza

Alfredo Verzosa y Florentín (9 December 1877 – 27 June 1954) was the fourth native Filipino to be elevated as bishop of the Catholic Church and the first from Northern Luzon. He was also the first Ilocano bishop. He co-founded the Congregation of the Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Heart (MCSH), which focuses on education and administration within the church, especially catechesis. He has been declared Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI and his cause for beatification is underway. Alfredo Verzosa y Florentín was born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Don Alejandro Verzosa and Doña Micaela Florentín of the Gremio de Mestizos ("Mestizo Guild") of Vigan. Alfredo was the second of seven children. The Verzosa family were devout Catholics and financial patrons of the Cathedral Church. Verzosa was raised religiously and expressed an early interest in the priesthood. After elementary school, he enrolled at the Conciliar Seminary of Nueva Segovia, staying for three years before leaving. He then transferred to the Colegio de san Juan de Letrán in Manila, where he finished his Segunda Enseñanza ("secondary education") and obtained his Bachelor of Arts. After consulting a Dominican Friar, he returned to the seminary. Verzosa studied theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. As a seminarian, he received his Tonsure and the Four Minor Orders in Manila. This period coincided with the Philippine Revolution and the subsequent Philippine-American War, causing upheaval in both civil and ecclesiastical life. The Ilocano priest Gregorio Aglipay served as Military Chaplain for Emilio Aguinaldo's Revolutionary Government, and was later excommunicated for Usurpation of Jurisdiction after attempting to secure control of the Nueva Segovia diocese. He subsequently helped establish the Philippine Independent Church, causing many priests and parishioners in Nueva Segovia to leave the Catholic Church.