That is why Fitial said he will always remember the priest who passed away on Sunday at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, four days after celebrating his 65th birthday.
The governor said Corcuera, the apostolic administrator of Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, always gave him good advice.
He said he once told the priest to stop smoking “but it was too late already because when they decided to bring him to the Philippines, his lung cancer was already stage 4.”
Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan and another close friend of the priest, said he always reminded Corcuera to take care of his health.
Father Manny, as he was known in the community, left Saipan on Oct. 5 so he could be treated in Manila after he was diagnosed with non-small cell lung carcinoma, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa said in a press statement.
The chemotherapy had to stop due to Father Manny’s weakened condition. He passed away a few minutes after his brother, Rev. Atilano Corcuera, administered the last rites.
The remains of Father Manny will be brought to his home town in Sorsogon, a province south of Manila. There will be a memorial Mass to “celebrate his new life” on Dec. 26 at the Sacred Heart Parish Church in Kamuning, Quezon City.
He will be laid to rest at a family plot at a Catholic cemetery in Sorsogon.
Father Manny was ordained into the Sacrament of Holy Orders on Nov. 8, 1970 by Pope Paul VI. He arrived on Saipan in Feb. 1987 and had served the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in various capacities.
He was also the parish priest of Sta. Soledad Church in Kagman.
The Diocese of Chalan Kanoa said it is “thankful for the many years of service Father Manny brought to the families in the NMI. With his passing, the clergy and the faithful join the family of the late Father Manny in prayer.”
