Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag called on his own foot soldiers to look at the Virgin Mary as the perfect model for their ministry.

The bishop said they cannot be synodal priests if they do not have Mary as a companion in their priestly life.

“The priest who does not invoke Mary as a part of his pastoral ministry is doomed to fail,” Mayugba said.

“The Blessed Mother has exemplified what a synodal Church is. She has been present to all–in every place, in every diocese, in every parish, in every home,” he said.

The prelate said this during his homily at Immaculate Conception School of Theology (ICST) in Vigan City on Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

The liturgy culminated the three-day Grand Marian Celebration of ICST, which is also one of the activities for its ongoing and year-long 200th anniversary celebration.

“If we celebrate 200 years and we are reminded of all the products of ICST, never forget that your companion in your ministry is the Blessed Mother,” said Mayugba, who is also an alumnus of the seminary and its former rector.

“She too was the companion already of the apostles in the upper room when they were waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” he added.

Several images of the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout Northern Luzon also visited the seminary for the event.

The statues include that of Our Lady of Piat of Cagayan, Our Lady of Guibang of Isabela, Nuestra Senora del Mar Cautiva and Our Lady of Namacpacan of La Union, La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc of Ilocos Norte, and Our Lady of Covadonga of Benguet.

The other images were that Our Lady of Good Harvest of Nueva Vizcaya, Nuestra Senora dela Caridad of Ilocos Sur, Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan, Our Lady of La Salette brought by the La Salette Fathers and an image of the Immaculate Conception.

After the Mass, the images were brought on a procession around the city that was attended by thousands of pilgrims and devotees from different parts of the region.