ARCHBISHOP of Manila Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle celebrated his 60th birthday on Wednesday with a thanksgiving Mass and a simple lunch with family, fellow clergymen and friends.
“Today, I thank the Lord for the gift of 60 years. I stand by the commitment to love God and others always by the grace of God,” he said in his message before the Mass at the Manila Cathedral on Wednesday morning. “God is my joy in every circumstance of my life, knowing that He works all things out, always for the good of all.”
He also remembered the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, who died 12 years ago on this day, blessing his tomb at the crypt of the Cathedral.
Joining Tagle on his birthday were family members, led by his parents, Manuel and Milagros, and guests, among them former President Benigno S. Aquino III, and his sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Viel Aquino-Dee.
Also present were Manila Archbishop Emeritus Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Pampanga Bishop Pablo David, Cavite Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista, Kalookan Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani and Palawan Bishop Pedro Arigo.
After the Mass, he treated his guests to a simple lunch at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM) grounds in Intramuros, Manila.
Before Wednesday’s celebration, a bloodletting activity was held at the RCAM as the archdiocese’s “birthday gift” to him.
The retirement age for bishops in the Catholic hierarchy is 75.
Senior citizens in the country are entitled to a 20-percent discount in medical expenses, transportation fares, restaurants and recreation centers, among other benefits.