The pastor of St. Jerome in Maplewood — Father Victor Valencia — died unexpectedly while in the Philippines on a medical mission, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in an Aug. 23 note to parishioners posted on the parish’s website.
“It is with great sorrow that I share the news of the passing of your pastor,” the archbishop wrote, in part. “We ask your prayers for Fr. Victor’s soul and for his family and for all who will miss him dearly. We will share the details when we learn of them, and will plan a Mass for his eternal (repose) in the weeks ahead. Eternal Rest grant unto him O Lord, and let the Perpetual Light shine upon him.”
Father Valencia grew up on the island of Negros in the Philippines. He came to Minnesota in the early 2000s to serve in the archdiocese, according to a 2017 story in The Catholic Spirit. He went back to his homeland on a medical mission in 2016 and in subsequent years. Groups he worked with included the nonprofit Negrenses del Oriental del Minnesota and Minnesota-based Foundation for Philippine Medical Missions.
Father Valencia was incardinated into the archdiocese in 2020 from the Diocese of San Carlos in the Philippines. Among his assignments, Father Valencia was appointed pastor of St. Jerome in 2019, which was a transfer from his assignment as pastor of Mostly Holy Redeemer in Montgomery and St. Patrick in Shieldsville.
