Mindoro SVD missionary Fr. Vicente Castro dies at 85

CALAPAN CITY — Divine Word missionary Fr. Vicente Castro, SVD, a longtime missionary, theologian, and community builder who served Mindoro, died early Friday at Villa Cristo Rey, Christ the King Mission Seminary in Quezon City. He was 85.

The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Philippine Southern Province announced that Castro died at about 2:10 a.m.

Born on November 25, 1940, Castro served as a Divine Word missionary for 60 years, with assignments in Sarangani town in Mindoro and in Rome.

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READ: Mindoro missionary, teacher Fr. Edgar Javier dies at 77

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Friends and fellow missionaries remembered him as a theology teacher, mentor in community building, and a dedicated missionary.

In a social media tribute shared by Fr. Ross Heruela, SVD, Castro was remembered as a confrere who introduced others to the works of Swiss theologian Hans Küng and encouraged communities to move away from a culture of dole-outs.

Dr. Carole Diamante, who described Castro as an SVD missionary from Libis, Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, also shared personal memories of the priest and his family.

“Fr. Vicente was a family friend,” Diamante said, recalling that the late priest’s father, an engineer, served as a parish volunteer and assisted in many projects of the late Bishop Wilhelm Dushack.

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She also remembered Castro’s mother as a fervent Marian devotee involved in the Legion of Mary, Apostleship of Prayer, and Catholic Women’s League.

Diamante said Castro’s brother, Fr. Antonio Castro, was ordained at a young age, sent to Rome for studies, and later died in an accident while assigned in SASMA (St. Augustine Major Seminary), Tagaytay. Another brother, Rommel, was her classmate at the former Mindoro College, while his sister Socorro served as choir director at Holy Infant Academy alongside Sr. Eduvigis.

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Diamante also remembered Castro’s contribution to preserving the church’s history in Mindoro.

“Fr. Vicente gave that lovely eulogy for Fr. Ewald Dinter and translated most of the messages of Fr. Dinter’s German friends,” she said.

She recalled bringing Fr. Rudolf Holzgartner to Villa Cristo Rey to meet Fr. Vicente and seek his help translating a book about Bishop Dushack from German into English and, hopefully, Tagalog.

“The last joyful time I had with Fr. Vicente was [the] 2025 Oktoberfest celebration at Villa Cristo Rey,” Diamante said.

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SVD will announce details about Castro’s wake and funeral services./coa