Angelo Luciano (1946-2020)
Born in Sta. Maria, Bulacan (Philippines), on February 19, 1946
He was a missionary in Zambia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Died in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Philippines, on March 29, 2020, at the age of 74.
Angel Luciano was one of five members of the team who began the mission in Zambia. He moved to Zambia in 1976, along with Wim Goossens, Staf Smets, George Florendo, and Antoon Algoet; and started working in the Diocese of Ndola in the Copperbelt Province. Angel and Staf were assigned to Chingola, where they served in two parish communities.
After six years in Zambia, he was recalled to the Philippines to become the Superior of the 11th Street Formation Community.
He became the Vice-Provincial of the CICM Philippines Province (RP) after his term as Formator and the Provincial Superior of RP Province from 1993 to 1997. In 1999, he was assigned to Singapore after serving as Provincial of the RP.
Angel and I met in the Philippines in 1991. But I got to know him better while he was working in Singapore. He was a man who lived a humble life. Angel was a nonsmoker and a nondrinker. He commuted by public transit. He was well liked by the parishioners and could quickly make friends. He remembered Chibemba, a local Zambian language, even though he had been away from Zambia for many years. When we met, we would occasionally exchange a few Chibemba phrases. When I was on home leave from Zambia, I had the opportunity to see him.
When he spoke with you, he was candid and direct and was not afraid to speak his thoughts on many issues. In addition, he had a strong working relationship with Msgr. Nicholas Chia, Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore. Archbishop Chia would consult Angel on migrant laborers in Singapore because he was responsible for the Migrant Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Singapore.
Angel initiated the “Simbang Gabi” novena masses in Singapore, which were well appreciated and well attended. Today, in preparation for Christmas, more than half of
Singapore’s parishes hold “Simbang Gabi” liturgies. He was able to engage the services of local priests and several Filipino priests to assist with the masses.
He was well loved by both parishioners and migrant Filipino workers who came to him for various reasons. He retired at the age of 65 from St. Michael Parish and continued to help in parish and migrant apostolate programs. Later, he handed over the Migrant apostolate to our confrere Charlie Oasan, who had been transferred to Singapore in 2013. He retired to the Philippines in 2016.
May he rest in Peace!
Anthony Lim