Pioneering Divine Word missionary Fr. Edgar Javier dies at 77

Fr. Edgar Javier, SVD, died at approximately 10 a.m. on Tuesday in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The missionary had spent the majority of his 50-year ecclesiastical career serving the Church in Mindoro, establishing himself as both a spiritual leader and scholar within the region.

Javier's death marks the end of a lengthy tenure devoted to pastoral work and educational endeavors across the island province. His decades of service earned him recognition within Philippine religious circles as a committed member of the Society of Divine Word, an international missionary congregation.

The Divine Word missionary's passing represents a significant loss to the Mindoro Catholic community, where he had become a familiar figure through his work in parishes and educational institutions. The Diocese of Calapan, which encompasses the Oriental Mindoro region, has acknowledged his contributions to the local Church.