QUIAPO, Manila — Reverend Father Rufino ‘Jun’ Sescon Jr. may have not expected he would be chosen by Pope Francis as a new bishop but in spite of the bigger responsibility, his commitment to the Church and its mission of propagating the word of God Has given him courage and preparedness.

According to the post of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News, the Pope chose Rev. Fr. Sescon as the new bishop to lead the Diocese of Balanga that covers Bataan province.

Sescon, 52, who was the rector of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno or Quiapo Church, will succeed Bishop Ruperto Santos, who was appointed to lead the Diocese of Antipolo in July 2023.

Father Sescon was ordained in 1998 and has served as personal secretary to then-Manila archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin. He was also the chancellor in the Archdiocese of Manila and administrator of Villa San Miguel.

Before transferring to Quiapo Church, he spent many years in Makati City as chaplain of Greenbelt Chapel and priest-in-charge of Mary, Mother of Hope Chapel at Landmark.

He was a commissioner for the Formation of the Laity and Christian Communities, director of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Lay Formation Center, member of the Presbyteral Council and the executive director of the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).