Inanam lad ordained Jesuit Deacon

PENAMPANG – A son of Inanam Parish was ordained deacon at the Church of the Gesu, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines on 29 Oct 2016.

Leslie Joseph Bingkasan was among the 11 candidates who were ordained by Bishop Ruperto Cruz Santos of Balanga.  The candidates came from Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Tanzania.

In his homily, the bishop exhorted the candidates: My dear deacons, Jesus also takes you for Him [God the Father]. You are taken for service to His people and in your service, like Saint Joseph and Saint Ignatius, be brave, bring Jesus and Mary with you, and after all is said and done, be at the background.   That is the way of service of the diaconate.

Born in Kg Kionsom Inanam on 27 Apr 1977, Leslie is the eldest in a brood of four boys and one girl born to Joseph Joswan Bingkasan and Mary Sodikit.  However, he was baptised at St Francis Xavier Petaling Jaya in 2001 while taking a course on microbiology at the Universiti Malaya (1998-2002).  He entered the Society of Jesus in 2004 after working as a journalist for Herald Catholic Weekly from 2002 to 2004.  He made his first profession in 2006.  He is currently finishing his theological studies at the Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines.