Bishop Tomas Aguon Camacho

The 13th day of this month marks a momentous occasion not only in the life of a most respected leader but also in the history of Catholicism in the Northern Mariana Islands. Exactly 24 years ago, the CNMI’s native son, then Monsignor Tomas Aguon Camacho, was ordained as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa.

The creation by the Vatican of the Diocese on Nov. 8, 1984, and the appointment by Pope John Paul II of Camacho Jan. 13, 1985, to the top pastoral position on Saipan heralded the Vatican’s planned decision to ecclesiastically separate, once again after more than 300 years, the rest of the Northern Marianas from the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Agatna.

Author Jess R.A. Sonoda, in a short biography titled From Goatherd to Shepherd, chronicled the life of Camacho and depicted the young man’s journey to priesthood, starting out as a lad herding goats into the field, a son and brother in a traditional Chamorro family, his brief sojourn as a child in Palau, and a man destined to be the spiritual guide of an infant Diocese.

The book was especially written for the Bishop’s 75th birthday on Sept. 18, 2008. It tells of his kindred spirit, human frailties and challenges, a story of “a man grounded by faith, totally dependent on God’s grace and providence” and reveals his true vocation as “shepherd to the people of God in the CNMI.”

According to church regulations known as Canon Law, Camacho as bishop is required to submit his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI upon reaching the age of 75, which he did.

However, the Bishop will wait for the Vatican’s decision as to whether or not the resignation will be accepted. So he will continue to serve in his current capacity until a new bishop is appointed. The process of choosing his successor would normally take about eight months or less.

Before his successor is named, it is just appropriate that His Most Reverend Bishop Camacho is named Saipan Tribune’s 2008 Person of the Year, a fitting tribute to his 47 long years of priestly ministry—the first time the honor is given to a leader from the religious sector.

For the past several years, this special annual recognition had been accorded to an individual or individuals, or groups or sectors for their extraordinary efforts during the year. To mention some of them: then Rota Mayor Benjamin T. Manglona for leading the revival and rehabilitation of the island after two powerful typhoons in 2002; all the community groups for their volunteering efforts in 2003; Wilgene Lieto and Derence Jack for their heroism in Iraq in 2005; Beautify CNMI for its environmental concerns in 2006; and Tina Sablan for her meteoric rise to the political scene in 2007.

During the interview, the Bishop was unaware that such recognition is being accorded to him. He shared with the Saipan Tribune some of his experiences and ideas, his visions for the future of the church and its people as well as his encouragements for his successor.

A call from God

“To come to the priesthood was a call from God,” the Bishop said. He said it is a privilege to serve Him directly.

After finishing education at the St. Patrick Seminary in San Francisco, California in 1961, Camacho went back to Guam, where then Bishop Baumgartner administered his ordination as a priest on June 14 of the same year.

He recalled that on that very same day, his father Tun Bidat could not attend the event because it was at the very same time that the elder Camacho was receiving the sacrament of the sick, miles away from Saipan. His father died of lung cancer four months after his ordination into the priesthood.

“That is still vivid in my memory,” he said.

The young priest spent eight years in Guam teaching in Catholic schools. In 1968 he was given the opportunity to practice his vocation in Rota, though this was short-lived because he was called back to Guam after two years.

Asked to recollect about the church and the people of the CNMI during those days, Camacho said that in 1971 the islands under the Trust Territory government were very poor.

The opportunity to serve the very same people he grew up with came in 1976, the transition year from Trust Territory to Commonwealth. From then on, he settled here on Saipan permanently after being named Pastor of the Mt. Carmel Church.

It was the same Church where, as a young boy, he spent most of his time as an altar server. “I was close to the Church. When I was 12 years old, I was an altar server to the Spanish Jesuit priest and that started it,” he said.

So when he became the Pastor of the Church, he saw that “people were very enthusiastic and practiced their faith regularly.” This made it easy for him, particularly since he felt at home practicing his vocation.

“I was born here and raised here. Majority of the people are my relatives, so it was easy for me to adapt because everybody knows me at that time. So we worked together.”

Years later and during his tenure as Bishop, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa grew to 13 parishes that spread across the CNMI.

Challenges and changes

While some people talk about the CNMI being a diversified culture, Camacho said the “influences that we receive from outside that are contrary to Christian principles” are the biggest challenges the Roman Catholic Church faces today.

In schools, the Bishop said many students openly contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, Camacho said he is proud of Mt. Carmel School’s achievement in propagating Catholic education.

“I am proud that we have a topnotch school that had been in existence for 50 years. Our graduates have no problem attending colleges even in the U.S. mainland. My wish is that more people would come to attend our school because of their faith. Here we teach the Catholic faith,” he said.

Camacho highlighted the increasing role of the faithful within the Church as the most significant change yet.

“Before, the people let the church do everything. There is a beautiful transformation now in the church because people have taken over the church and made it their own,” he said.

The Bishop said the parish councils are actively leading such significant change and, through his guidance, the councils are the leading force behind this.

“This is a tremendous thing, each parish have taken ownership of their church. They work hard for the parish. I am so happy with this transformation,” he said.

For instance, he said the people in the community are very generous to their church. “All churches are well-maintained,” he said.

He said that the continuing improvement of the Mount Carmel Cathedral was made almost entirely through donations from the community.

Legacies

Just before submitting his resignation to the Vatican, Bishop Camacho finished translating from English to Chamorro the Nuevu Testamento (The Chamorro New Testament). A few years back, he translated two important documents, the Sacramentary and the Lectionary. The Lectionary is a book containing all Scripture readings, usually during Sunday Masses, while the Sacramentary is the new name of what used to be called “Roman Missal,” which is a product of Vatican II and published under the authority of Pope Paul VI.

Camacho considers these translations as his legacies.

“I’m trying to finish translating the Old Testament, also from English to Chamorro,” he said.

The KARIDAT Social Services Inc. is another legacy of the Bishop.

As founder, Camacho explained that all diocese around the church has the duty to take care of the poor “so it was very natural for me to put up a foundation like the KARIDAT to be able to serve the poor.”

KARIDAT executive director Angie Guerrero had nothing but kind words to describe the Bishop, saying he is very compassionate, supportive and generous.

“He gives guidance, advice us for direction, takes an active influence to KARIDAT because he keeps in touch with us.”

Lung cancer surgery

In May 2008, the Bishop underwent another major surgery. It was his fourth time to go under the knife but the lung cancer surgery was the most serious. In From Goatherd to Shepherd, Sonoda wrote of the Bishop saying after the surgery that he was ready to meet the Lord.

“At 75, I am very happy inside. For the past 30, years I was able to work closely with the people and they listened to my advice. They gave me tremendous support,” Camacho said.

At the time of the surgery and miles away from the Straub Hospital in Honolulu, the people of Saipan led by no less than Gov. Benigno Fitial packed the Cathedral to pray for his recovery.

The Bishop survived the surgery but it has slowed him down. He is now seldom seen in public gatherings and has even missed some major church events.

He also trimmed down his time at the office. Cathedral Rector Fr. Ryan Jimenez said, “The will to serve the people is still there but the body is weak.”

The Bishop has been saying that he’s ready to retire but he vowed to continue serving the people and be their “priest around here” even after the Vatican names his successor.

“Rome will find a successor before I can step down,” he said. For now, “I wish him luck and my prayers, definitely.”

Camacho said every Bishop has his own charisma. “Most likely, some are better than me. Being younger has brighter ideas.”

Regardless of who will be chosen as his successor, the most important thing, the Bishop said, is that “we depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us.”