Best Birthday Gift Ever: Pope Leo XIV Appoints Cordillera Priest as New Bishop of Tabuk
Talk about a birthday surprise — Father Sean Mejia turned 54 on Tuesday, March 3, and received possibly the best gift of his life: Pope Leo XIV personally appointed him as the new Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk in Kalinga province.
According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Mejia will become the third apostolic vicar of Tabuk, a missionary jurisdiction established in 1992. The vicariate has been without a bishop since February 2025, when Bishop Prudencio Andaya Jr. was transferred to the Diocese of Cabanatuan.
Born in Bulanao, Tabuk City, Father Mejia is a true son of the Cordilleras. He studied philosophy at San Pablo Seminary in Baguio City and theology at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Vigan City before being ordained a priest in October 1999. He later earned a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.
The bishop-elect brings decades of pastoral experience, having served as parish priest of St. William's Cathedral in Tabuk, chancellor of the vicariate, seminary formator, superintendent of Catholic schools, and president of St. Louis College of Bulanao. Since March 2025, he has been serving as pro-apostolic vicar, overseeing the vicariate's governance.
As apostolic vicar, Mejia will lead a mission territory with about 22 mission stations and parishes, administered by 25 diocesan priests with support from missionary congregations. It's a big responsibility for a man who has dedicated his entire priestly life to the Cordillera region — and what better way to celebrate your birthday than a call from the Vatican?
Source: GMA News / CBCP News
