Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., D.D.

Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P. (1935–2014) was a Filipino Dominican prelate, theologian, and educator who served as Archbishop of Caceres, Philippines from 1984 to 2012. Born in Meycauayan, Bulacan, on November 25, 1935, he was ordained a priest of the Order of Preachers on December 17, 1960. He pursued philosophical studies at the University of Hong Kong and earned advanced degrees in theology and philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila. In 1970, he became the first Filipino Rector Magnificus of UST. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Manila in 1977, he was ordained bishop that same year. As Archbishop of Caceres, he served the Church in Bicol for nearly three decades, strengthening its pastoral life and devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia. He also served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines from 1988 to 1991 and presided over the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines in 1991.