A mysterious death threat turned Filipino priest Fr Elric Jorquia’s path towards New Zealand.
A young priest from a sleepy town in Malaybalay, Southern Philippines, Fr Jorquia was surprised by a call from a journalist friend who informed him of the threat.
In October 2012, the Malaybalay police conducted an operation where a killer for hire was killed. Recovered from the killer’s belongings were pictures of his targeted victims, some of whom were already dead. Fr Jorquia was in a group photo and his chest was marked with an x.
“I wasn’t concerned at first. It felt unreal and I didn’t think there was any reason for anyone to want me dead,” he said. “I tried to evaluate my life as a person and as a priest. I felt I wasn’t that bad.”
Fr Jorquia said the experience did not scare him, but it made him wary, especially when meeting people he did not know.
His bishop pulled him out of the parish for three months. In a general reshuffling in the middle of 2012, it was decided that he would be sent to Auckland diocese.
“What I have learned is, I am not a priest for my own sake but for the people of God. Coming here to New Zealand has given me a wider perspective of the Universal Church,” he said.
Fr Jorquia has two more years to serve in Auckland diocese. He arrived in January last year.
“For me, things have become simple. I know that wherever I go, the Lord will be there. I like this country. It’s beautiful. But I will go where God leads me. I will be happy,” he said.
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