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Tuluyan ng naihatid sa kanyang huling hantungan si Tandag Bishop-emeritus Nereo Odchimar na namayapa sa edad na 84-taong gulang noong February 1, 2024.
Pinangunahan ni Tandag Bishop Raul Dael ang Funeral Mass para sa dating punong pastol ng diyosesis kung saan kinilala ng Obispo ang dedikasyon at naging paglilingkod ni Bishop Odchimar sa Diyosesis ng Tandag ng halos 17 taon mula ng maitalaga sa diyosesis noong October 18, 2001 hanggang magretiro noong February 26, 2018.
Ayon kay Bishop Dael, kahanga-hanga ang pambihirang paniniwala ni Bishop Odchimar sa kagandahang loob at tuwinang pagiging bukas palad ng mga mananampalataya ng Diyosesis ng Tandag upang higit na mapalawak at maipalaganap ang Mabuting Balita ng Panginoon sa nasasakop ng diyosesis sa Surigao del Sur.
“Bishop Ner believed in the generosity of the people of the Diocese of Tandag, if ever there were times that we doubted for the completion of this cathedral, this man believes in our capacity to be generous to make a difference, to transcend and to launched in to the deep from the parochial view point to a diocesan perspective.” Bahagi ng mensahe ni Bishop Dael.
Partikular namang inalala ni Bishop Dael ang pambihirang naitulong ni Bishop Odchimar upang patuloy na magabayan ang mga mananampalataya ng Diyosesis ng Tandag nang kaniyang kinailanganin na magpagamot matapos na matuklasan ang pagkakaroon ng cancer.
Paliwanag ni Bishop Dael sa kabila ng pagreretiro ay hindi nagdalawang isip si Bishop Odchimar na pansamantalang humalili at magsilbing pastol ng mga mananampalatayang ng diyosesis habang siya ay nagpapagamot sa Maynila na tumagal ng mahigit sa isang taon.
Ayon sa Obispo, pambihira din ang paggabay ng Panginoon sa Diyosesis ng Tandag kung saan kasabay ng paghina ng pangangatawan ni Bishop Odchimar ay ang kaniya namang unti-unting paggaling mula sa kanyang sakit.
“When I took over he [Bishop Odchimar] went to Mangagoy after few months he came to me and said ‘Can I stay with you at the pastoral?’ and I said ‘I will be very glad that you will stay with me’ It is a great honor to serve my predecessor who have worked so hard for the diocese and the clergy knew what happened next. After few months I went to Manila because I was diagnosed with cancer and I have to undergo a treatment that lasted for 1 year and 2 months. And in that absence, he represented me and when he was growing weak that was the time that I slowly recover, God loves so much the Diocese of Tandag. Even those months that he was bedridden it was a grace filled moments for us especially my clergy, I asked them to go visit and stay for few days, magpasalamat.” Pagbabahagi ni Bishop Dael.
Matapos na magretiro noong 2018 nanatili si Bishop Odchimar sa Diyosesis ng Tandag at ipinagpatuloy ang kanyang paglilingkod sa pamamagitan ng patuloy na paggabay sa mga lingkod ng Simbahan ng diyosesis.
Inihimlay ang mga labi ni Bishop Odchimar sa himlayan sa crypt ng bagong San Nicolas de Tolentino Cathedral sa Tandag City
Si Bishop Odchimar na tubong Bacuag, Surigao del Norte ay inordinahang pari noong December 19, 1964 at naging pangulo ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines noong 2009 hanggang 2011 at minsan ring pinamunuan ang CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Canon Law.
Sa datos apat na obispo ang pumanaw sa unang bahagi ng 2024 na kinabibilangan ni Pagadian Bishop Ronald Lunas noong ikalawa ng Enero, Davao Archbishop-Emeritus Fernando Capalla ng ika-anim ng Enero habang sina Bishops Odchimar at Bishop Pacana naman ay namayapa sa parehong araw noong February 1, 2024.
