Fr. Maximo Barbero, SJ (1932-2019)

August 3, 2019

This is to inform you that FR. MAXIMO G. BARBERO, S. J. died early this evening, August 3, 2019,  at Philippine General Hospital, Manila.  He had suffered a massive stroke last week from which he never recovered. Fr. Barbi, 87, entered the Society on 7 Sep 1950 and was ordained to the presbyterate on 24 Mar 1963. Requiescat in pace.

Wake:  The wake begins tomorrow in the chapel of Philippine General Hospital. Daily wake Masses at 8 p.m. On Tuesday morning, 6 August, his remains will be moved to the Multipurpose Hall of Xavier School [64 Xavier St., Greenhills West, San Juan, M.M.], where a wake Mass will be celebrated in the evening at 8 p.m.

Funeral Mass: On Wednesday, 7 August, at 8 a.m. in Mary the Queen Parish Church, adjacent to Xavier School.

Interment: Sacred Heart Novitiate Jesuit Cemetery, right after the Funeral Mass.

---

BIOGRAPHY OF FR. MAXIMO BARBERO, SJ (1932-2019)
By Sch. Amado T. Tumbali, S.J., Asst. Province Archivist

Fr. Maximo “Barbi” Barbero y Gutierrez, S.J. was born on 18 February 1932 in Villahizan de Treviño, Burgos, Spain where he attended primary education (1939-43). After finishing his secondary studies at the Apostolic School of Castillo de Javier, Navarra (1944-50), he entered the Jesuit Novitiate in Orduña, Vizcaya on 7 September 1950. He continued his Juniorate in Orduña at the Colegio de la Antigua (1952-54) until he was sent to China Province as a student of Mandarin at Hsinchu Language Institute in Taiwan (1954-56).

Due to the prohibition of the Catholic Faith in Communist China, Fr. Barbi was among those who continued the rest of their priestly formation in the Philippines. He studied his AB Philosophy in the exiled Faculty of Philosophy of China Province in Mandaluyong, Rizal (1956-59), did his regency in Xavier School in San Juan (1959-60) where he was the Sub-prefect of Discipline and likewise Teacher of Religion and Education, and then continued his studies in the exiled Theologate of St. Robert Bellarmine in Mirador, Baguio City (1960-64) where he finished STB and STL in Theology. He was ordained to the diaconate on 19 March 1963 in Chabanel Language Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan and then to the presbyterate five days after in Lau Hu Kou, Taiwan; both orders were received through Msgr. Petrus Pao-Zin Tou, Bishop of Hsinchu. Following Theological Studies was tertianship at St. Peter Canisius Tertianship at Chabanel Hall, Mandaluyung Manila (June 1964-March 1965). He also took a course at the Cathechetical Institute in Strasbourg, France (1965-66).

His first pastoral assignment as a priest was at Xavier School, San Juan where he spent 28 years of engagement to students as Counselor (1966-68, 78-84, 85-91) and Head of Religion Department (1968-84). It was also at Xavier School where he pronounced his Final Vows on 2 February 1968. He was also at East Asian Pastoral Institute, Quezon City for a Renewal Program (1984-85). His transcription to the Philippine Province on 27 September 1988 paved way to more areas. He was Director of Campus Ministry in Ateneo de Zamboanga (1992-93) before he was sent to Philippine General Hospital Chaplaincy, Taft ave., Manila (1993-2019), with apostolic interludes in the Neo-Catechumenate Program while based in Xavier School (2000-01) and ministry at Mary the Queen Parish, San Juan City (2004-07).

On 24 July 2019, at the Chaplain’s Rectory of PGH, he suffered a massive stroke with cranial bleeding which he never recovered. He eventually died of pulmonary embolism at around six in the evening of 3 August 2019 at PGH. Having literally fallen and died near to the people he generously supported spiritually, and even financially, at 87 years old, Fr. Barbi, a naturalized Filipino, truly died with his boots on, giving himself up until the last drop, especially to patients and medical workers.

Fr. Barbi’s mortal remains will be waked in the chapel of Philippine General Hospital (4-5 August) and in the Multipurpose Hall of Xavier School (6 August). Funeral Mass will be on 7 August at 8:00 a.m. in Mary the Queen Parish, San Juan City. Burial follows at Sacred Heart Novitiate Jesuit Cemetery, Novaliches, Quezon City.