Historical and biographical review of some of the main figures of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects from its foundation to the present day.
A native of Calatayud in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, Leandro Arrué was born in 1837. At the age of 19, he took his vows, and while still a deacon, he travelled to the Philippines, where he was ordained as a priest. His first mission post was in Cagayan, in the far northeastern region of Luzon. In 1864, he was assigned to Negros Island, ministering to the parishes of Bacong and Sum-ag, as well as to Cebu Island, where he was appointed prior of the convent in Cebu City and shortly thereafter served as the parish priest of Liloan.
The construction of the heritage church of Bacong was largely due to his personal endeavour, and it is considered the oldest and best-preserved church in Negros Oriental. He laid the cornerstone of the church in 1866. During his second term as parish priest, starting in 1882, he completed the church’s exterior. Its patron saint was Augustine of Hippo, and on the feast of the saint, 28 August 1883, he celebrated the first Mass. He was deeply involved in decorating the interior of his church when, in 1885, he was named bishop of Jaro in Iloilo.
Historical accounts suggest that his humility led him to refuse all kinds of honours. He accepted the episcopacy only because his religious superiors ordered him to comply with the appointment. On 30 August 1885, at the age of 47, he was ordained as bishop in Intramuros, Manila. He became the second bishop of Jaro, a diocese established twenty years earlier. Another Recollect, Bishop Andrés Ferrero, succeeded him in 1898.
Bishop Arrué spent twelve years shepherding the vast local church, from which six dioceses or prelatures would eventually be created (Palawan, Zamboanga, Bacolod, Mindoro, Capiz, San Jose de Antique). Today, what was once his diocese—now an archdiocese—has more than three and a half million inhabitants.
Despite his stern and rigid demeanour, as revealed in his interactions with people, Arrué was a bishop with a natural inclination for visitations, not a prelate confined to his office. In fact, only one published pastoral letter has been handed down to us. He visited up to two different parishes each day and maintained direct contact with his flock. This approach led him to make decisions beyond the pastoral, such as the construction of a hospital to accommodate patients without resources.
He passed away in Jaro in 1897, after receiving the Gran Cruz de Isabel la Católica [Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic], an award granted by the Kingdom of Spain in recognition of his proven loyalty and contributions to the progress of a territory.
