Fr. Emmanuel V. Non, SJ (1923-2016)

June 30, 2016

This is to inform you that FR. EMMANUEL V. NON, S. J. died about 3 a.m. this morning in Cebu Doctors University Hospital, Cebu City. Fr. Manny, 93, entered the Society on 7 September 1944 and was ordained a priest on 22 June 1957. He has been hospitalized since suffering a stroke on 20 May.  

Wake:  Starting this evening till Sunday morning, 3 July in Sacred Heart Parish [Jakosalem St., Cebu City]. On Sunday the body will be brought to SAPAK Farm, Compostela, Cebu.  Daily wake Masses at 8 p.m.

Funeral Mass: At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, 5 July in SAPAK Farm. Interment follows in the Angelicum Garden of Angels Memorial Park, next to Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu.

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BIOGRAPHY OF FR. EMMANUEL V. NON, SJ (1923-2016)
By Sch. Amado T. Tumbali, S.J.
Assistant Province Archivist

Fr. Emmanuel Villamil Non, S.J. was born on 22 May 1923 in Baguio City. His pre-Jesuit studies, however, were fulfilled in Manila where he did primary education at De La Salle College at Taft Ave. and graduated with distinction in 1937 and secondary education at Mapua Institute of Technology where he was the class valedictorian in 1941. He continued in Mapua and took civil engineering but World War II forced him and many Filipinos to stop to go to school. During the Japanese occupation, he worked as auditing clerk at the accounting office of the Bureau of Public Works for a summer.

He entered the Jesuits on 7 September 1944 at La Ignaciana, Sta. Ana, Manila. Other primi novices then were: Ernesto Carretero, Santos Giron, Asterio Katigbak, Jose Llana, Prudentio Macayan, Basilio Manago, Jose Matan, Ernesto Mondonedo, and Sergio Su.  After the war, they returned to Sacred Heart Novitiate, Novaliches where he also did Juniorate and Philosphy. In 1951-1954, he was assigned as regent in Ateneo de Tuguegarao where he taught Religion, English, Latin, and Forensic Arts. He was also moderator of Borders and ACIL, and coach of the Basketball League. He studied Bachelor in Sacred Theology at Woodstock College, Maryland in 1954-1958. He was ordained priest at Fordham University, New York on 22 June 1957. During his theological studies, he also studied Catechetics and Liturgy at Notre Dame University, Indiana in 1957. After tertianship at Our Lady of Martyrs, Auriesville, New York in 1959, he went to study M.A. Religious Education at Lumen Vitae, Brussels in 1959-60.

He returned to the Philippines in 1960 and was assigned as prefect of college boarders at Ateneo de Manila in 1960-1962, teacher and minister at Ateneo de San Pablo 1962-1965, student counselor at Ateneo de Naga and teacher in high school, college, and graduate school at Sta. Isabel College in 1965-1967, minister and retreat giver at Loyola Retreat House, Angono in 1967-1968, and chaplain at P.G.H. chaplaincy in 1968-1969.

After spending almost a decade of priesthood in Luzon, he was assigned to Cebu where he spent the next 56 years of his life. In 1969-2001, he was attached to the community of Jesuit Retreat House, Cebu where he was retreat giver in 1969-1997, house confessor in 1970-1976, 1982-1988, house consultor in 1972-1991, admonitor in 1973-1976, director of Sapak Foundation, Inc. since 1972, president of Cebu Agro Forestry and Water Multipurpose Cooperative.

In 2001, while continuing as director of Sapak Experimental Farm, he was assigned as member of Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, Cebu City.

In 1972, he founded an orphanage for boys named, Sapak Farm at Compostela, Cebu with a motto: “work, pray and share.” The orphanage houses 70 boys from 9 to 20 years of age where they are provided free board and lodging and education. He held the directorship of Sapak Farm until his death.

In mid-May 2016, he suffered a stroke which caused him to be bedridden until he succumbed to severe systemic infection at around 3 AM of 30 June 2016 at Cebu Doctors Hospital, Cebu City at 93 years old. Requiescat in pace.