Manuel Tagle Sr., the 96-year-old father of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, died Sunday, with the cardinal asking for prayers for his father’s eternal rest.
Cardinal Tagle, 69, was in Rome when his father died at 7:09 a.m. Manila time. He is the former archbishop of Manila and now serves as pro-prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.
“We thank God for his life and mission. Please pray for his eternal joy with God,” Cardinal Tagle said. “May Tatay Maning rest in peace, with Mary, the Angels and Saints.”
Known as “Tatay Maning,” Manuel Sr. was married to Milagros Gokim for 70 years. They worked for a bank and raised their two sons, Luis Antonio and Manuel Jr., in Imus, Cavite, south of Manila.
Cardinal Tagle celebrated his parents’ wedding anniversary with relatives and friends at Imus Cathedral on Aug. 26.
The Diocese of Imus said the wake and viewing will begin Monday, Sept. 7, from 4 to 10 p.m. and continue Sept. 8-9 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Casas Hall in the Bishop’s House in Imus.
The funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 at Imus Cathedral, the diocese added.
The Tagle family said that, in lieu of flowers, cash donations for victims of the devastating flash floods in Nepal would be appreciated.
In Rome, the Pontificio Collegio Filippino held a Mass Sunday for Manuel Sr., led by its rector, Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston.
“We pray for Tatay Maning who passed away at a ripe old age,” Gaston said during the Mass. “We pray for his eternal repose, and we pray for Cardinal Tagle and his whole family.”
The Archdiocese of Manila also announced the death “with profound sadness” and urged the faithful to pray for the repose of his soul and for strength for the Tagle family.
