The Boy We Called “Cardinal”

Some friendships are measured by the number of years. Others are measured by the memories that never seem to grow old.

Last August 7, as Rev. Fr. Voltaire P. Dimol celebrates his 60th birthday, my thoughts return to the corridors of the seminary, where our journey first began.

We entered the seminary as young college students, carrying dreams much bigger than ourselves. We journeyed together from our college years until theology. We shared classrooms, chapel benches, examinations, laughter, disappointments, and countless ordinary days that, looking back now, have become treasured memories. After completing our seminary formation, we were each assigned to different parishes, but we remained brothers serving in the same Archdiocese. Like many of our classmates, we were ordained priests in 1994 and have continued serving the same local Church ever since.

Seminary life has a way of giving each seminarian a nickname that stays with him for life.

Voltaire was the one we fondly called “Cardinal.”

He also had a habit that amazed the rest of us. While many of us would spend days preparing for examinations, Voltaire seemed to study only during the last hour before the test. We would wonder how someone could be so calm. Then the results would come out—and, almost unbelievably, he would get a perfect score.

We would simply smile, shake our heads, and ask, “How does he do that?”

That became one of those unforgettable seminary stories that never grows old.

The years have passed quickly. We have served in different parishes, faced different challenges, and met different people. Yet every time I see Fr. Voltaire, I don’t first think of the priest he has become. I remember the seminarian we all knew—the one we affectionately called “Cardinal,” the classmate who somehow managed to perfect an exam after studying only at the last minute.

As you celebrate your 60th birthday, I thank God not only for the gift of your life but also for the gift of your friendship.

For sixty years, God has been writing His story in your life. For thirty-two years, He has faithfully guided your priestly ministry. May He continue to bless you with good health, joyful service, and many more fruitful years in His vineyard.

Happy 60th Birthday, Fr. Voltaire!

To us, you will always be more than a nickname. You will always be a brother, a classmate, and a fellow priest serving the same Archdiocese.

But I have to admit…

Whenever I see you, I still remember the young seminarian we proudly called…

“Cardinal.”

Happy Birthday, my brother. God bless you always. (Jesse Hipolito)