Gilbert Luis R. Centina III

Poet, fictionist and essayist Gilbert Luis R. Centina III (born 1947), a member of the religious Order of St. Augustine, is one of the leading Christian voices in contemporary literature. He belongs to the Spanish circumscription of the missionary Augustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines. On Sept. 20, 2006, his religious superior in Madrid nominated him pastor of the Augustinian-run parish of Holy Rosary in New York City. Edward Cardinal Egan appointed him pastor of the Church of the Holy Rosary on Dec. 1, 2006.

Shortly after entering the Augustinian Convent in historic Intramuros, Manila, he studied at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila's royal and pontifical university, where he obtained his ecclesiastical degrees (BA classical, Ph.B., STB, and STL, all cum laude). He earned his M.A. in comparative literature from the University of the Philippines and had completed required units toward a Ph.D. in comparative literature from a state university in the central Philippines but did not submit a thesis to be conferred the degree. Shortly after his ordination to the priesthood, he briefly served as a missionary in Peru.

He is the author of two books of poetry. His work has been included in Philippine high school and college textbooks. Besides English, he also writes in Spanish and in two Philippine languages, Hiligaynon and Tagalog. From the Asian Catholic Publishers and the Archdiocese of Manila under the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, he received the Catholic Authors Award in 1996.

Works

* Books of Poems: "Our Hidden Glaxette," Manila: M. Colcol and Company, 1970; "Glass of Liquid Truths," Makati: Augustinian Fathers, 1974 and Iloilo City: Bayanihan Printing Company, third international deluxe edition, 1979).
* Copy Editor, "John Paul II in Iloilo" (Iloilo City: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, 1981).
* Editor (2002-05), [http://hometown.aol.com/glciii/searchhome1.html "Search, The Augustinian Journal of Cultural Excellence"] .

Awards

* Catholic Authors Award
* Focus Philippines Literary Awards, Poetry
* Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, English poetry
* University of Santo Tomas Annual Rector's Literary Awards, English poetry and short story

External links

* [http://hometown.aol.com/glciii/myhomepage/index.html Home Page of Gilbert Luis R. Centina lll, OSA]
* [http://glciiiosa.blogspot.com/ A Sampler: The Latest Poetry of Gilbert Luis R. Centina lll, OSA]
* [http://www.nyholyrosary.org/index.html Holy Rosary Church, New York]
* [http://www.lgpolar.com/index/php/read.php?a=10&b=10&kp=documento&kh=1997 Contemporary Filipino Poetry in Spanish]
* [http://www.geocities.com/icasocot/authors_c.html Directory of Philippine Writers]
* [http://www.osanet.org/homeint.htm Official Web Site of the Order of St. Augustine]
* [http://www.augnet.org/ Augnet: A reference Web site on St. Augustine and the Order of Saint Augustine]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/san-agustin-church Augustinian Convent in Manila]