Jesse Mercado

Jesse Eugenio Mercado (born June 6, 1951) is the first bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque.

The Most Reverend Jesse Eugenio Mercado D.D.
Bishop of Parañaque
Official Portrait of Most Rev. Jesse Mercado
See	Parañaque
Appointed	December 7, 2002
Installed	January 28, 2003
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop of Manila (1997–2002) Titular Bishop of Talaptula (1997–2002)
Orders
Ordination	March 19, 1977 by Jaime Sin
Consecration	March 31, 1997 by Jaime Sin
Personal details
Born	Jesse Eugenio Mercado (1951-06-06) June 6, 1951 (age 74) Caloocan, Rizal, Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Motto	Confirma Fratres Tuos ('Strengthen your Brethren', Luke 22:32)
Coat of arms

Styles of Jesse Mercado
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop
Posthumous style	not applicable

Early life and education

Mercado was born on June 6, 1951, in Caloocan. He studied at St. Joseph School and completed his philosophical and theological formation at the Jesuit-run San Jose Seminary. From 1981 to 1984, he took his licentiate in theology at the Angelicum in Rome.

Ministry

He was ordained to the priesthood on March 19, 1977, for the Archdiocese of Manila. There, he served as Assistant Parish Priest (1977) of San Isidro Labrador Parish in Pasay, Spiritual Director (1977–1979) at the San Pablo Regional Seminary in Baguio City , Director of the Pre-College Department of the San Carlos Seminary (1979–1981), Professor of Theology (1985–1988) at the San Carlos Seminary, Rector (1988–1994) of the Holy Apostles Senior Seminary , and Rector (1994–1997) of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino.

Episcopate

Pope John Paul II named him as Titular Bishop of Talaptula and Auxiliary Bishop of Manila on February 25, 1997, and was ordained on March 31 of the same year.^[1] As Auxiliary Bishop, he was assigned as District Bishop for Pasay-Parañaque-Las Piñas-Muntinlupa (PPLM) District.

Pope John Paul II subsequently appointed him as the first and founding bishop of the Diocese of Parañaque on December 7, 2002, and formally installed on January 28, 2003.