Fr. Benjamin Inocencio, OMI

He was born January 17, 1958 in Ugong, Pasig City, Metro Manila. Having obtained a college degree in accounting and he worked in a bank prior to novitiate. He made his first vows at Tamontaka in 1986 and was ordained a priest in 1992 at the age of 34. After ordination he was parish priest at Timanan, South Upi, Maguindanao for a year before being assigned to Cagayan de Mapun, Tawi-Tawi one of the remote island stations of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. He spent eight years the reserving the Badjaos the poorest among the poor in the southernmost part of the Philippines before being appointed Chancellor of the Vicariate in June this year.

Bishop Angelito LAMPON Vicar Apostolic of Jolo who has known Fr Inocencio for many years describes him as a very kind and open person easy to get along with.“He would regularly meet the staff and pray with them in inter-religious worship – because we have Muslims on our staff. They prayed together.He was very kind to people and they did not hesitate to approach him to talk. He was very transparent the kind of person of whom you can say ‘what you see is what you get’” said the bishop.

Others who knew Fr. Inocencio say he was “a very quiet meditative person… a very kind and gentle person… quiet and simple.”

According to Bishop Lampon Fr. Inocencio was on his way to the market to buy items needed for the Jolo Vicariate’s combined Christmas and Hari-Raya celebration to be held the next day. A day before the incident Jolo celebrated Eid’l Fitr marking the end of fasting in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the end of a Vicariate sponsored seminar on the culture of peace.

Fr. Inocencio, 42, was martyred on Thursday, December 28, 2009. He was ordained to the priesthood at Grace Park, Caloocan City, Metro Manila on April 25, 1992. He was first assigned to Timanan in June 1992. Three months later he was assigned to Cagayan de Mapun in Tawi-Tawi, where he became the Parochial Vicar of Mapun Parish and at the same time the Director of Notre Dame of Mapun. He spent more than eight years of humble and faithful service to the people of island.

In June 2000, he was assigned Chancellor of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo with Bishop Angelito R. Lampon, OMI, DD. At the same time, he served as Chaplain of the Notre Dame of Jolo College.

Beside the Cathedral of Jolo, Fr. Inocencio was shot on the head that caused his sudden death on the feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28, 2000.

The Martyrdom of Fr. Benjamin Inocencio, OMI fondly called as Fr. Benjie, is a second brutal murder of the servant of the Catholic Church which took place in Jolo. The first was the senseless killing of Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, OMI, DD on February 4, 1997.