"The Kept Man" by Alpine Moldez

15 October 2025

THE MOST REVEREND MICHAEL BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN, D.D.

Archbishop of Dublin, Primate of Ireland

Archdiocese of Dublin

Your Grace,

Considering new information, I request the suspension of Mr. Rafael Clemente’s cause for sainthood. Below is the transcript of a letter from Sr Therese of the Annunciation O.C.D., the youngest daughter of Mr. Andrew Tapang, a key resource person in the inquiry into Mr. Clemente’s life and works.

"Dearest Mgr. Kelleher. The Lord be with you! It has been a month since my father passed, and another since he visited our monastery. Consumed by cancer, he felt it was time to share a side of him nobody else must have known. I know that you are interested in learning more about Rafael Clemente. And you will. But I would have to tell it through my father’s story. He had always been a bright but shadowy figure, like a performer on stage. He taught me how to pray. And while relatively quiet, he was my loudest supporter. For these, I am eternally grateful. I must emphasise the many great qualities he possessed, for what I learnt next, while not earth-shattering, might be upsetting.

Harland & Reeve Construction needed extra hands for Dublin’s housing projects in the autumn of 1995. An ambitious construction worker, just 25, and with numerous bills to pay, Father took the job, along with several other colleagues who were with him on another project in Saudi Arabia. One of them was Rafael Clemente. You can imagine his gladness when he heard that his best friend could be the next Filipino saint! And how, after all these years and such a complicated process of tracing, you were able to reach him to be a resource person.

Father spoke fondly of Rafael. He remembers him as someone who always reminded them of home, always looked out for the sick and those on a tight budget, and was consistent in persuading, at least the Catholics, to attend Sunday Mass. Rafael was kind and caring towards everyone, including the Africans, the Indians, fellow Filipinos, and all others. Irish locals in the neighbourhood even regarded him as a celebrity when he later became known as the “man with the funny accent,” volunteering at your parish’s soup kitchen whenever they had days off. In a workplace often marked by harsh orders and impatient supervisors, his presence brought calm, respect, and warmth. Even without official authority, he carried a natural dignity that made people listen to him.

Experiencing Dublin mornings, father said, meant waking up to frequent drizzles sparkling like diamonds. And, in a sense, he found diamonds there, indeed. Day by day, as he watched Rafael touch lives, he felt something within him shift. He was lonely and tired, burdened by his personal goals and responsibilities, but Rafael showed him how palatable kindness can be despite having your own challenges. It did not take long for Father to notice his admiration bloom into affection, and eventually, romance.

I have no judgment on his actions and choices. And even if I do, that is not why I am here. He told me that 1996 was a different world and assured me that whatever punishment I had in mind, it was a sentence he had already served with Rafael.

They had a relationship that lasted about nine months. It ended two weeks before Rafael’s life did. Father was relatively young, so at some point, his lustful desires overcame his attraction to the practical religiosity that Rafael embodied. He grew tired of it. He was even frustrated at how Rafael might have gone to Confession over the closest thing they had to intimacy: a kiss! Chuckling, Father said it was not all bad. Parting with Rafael made him explore not only his sexuality more, but also Dublin.

You know how the story ends. November 1996 saw the continued rise of tensions between their overwhelmingly Catholic team and the then-month-old site administrators sent by their Belfast head office, most of whom were Protestants. One fateful night, a mob, mainly of their Irish co-workers, accused one of the newly installed site safety officers of spying for the Unionists. Always the peacemaker, Rafael stood in the way of an attack meant for that man. A metal rod. That was all it took to end such an impactful life. Devastated, Father returned to the Philippines several months later, when his contract expired. He tried to hide everything and forget them altogether. He found new love. Lived a new life.

Their relationship is known only to a few workmates. Rumours surely came out. Persisted. Especially recently, hence your need for Father’s words to validate them. But he cannot. He would not. Not even to his wife. If not close to dying, and maybe because his confessor advised him so, he might not have told me about it either. He hated being someone who loved men while also loving Rafael. He deliberately withheld responses to your queries because he could not bear to tell his story despite wanting to be proud of it. I wrote to fulfil his dying wish: the favour to answer for him. “Rafael would have wanted it that way,” he said. “Even if damaging, he would believe it is the proper thing to do.”

Please make what you will of these facts, Mgr. Kelleher, and disturb my peace no more. All of us are now at the Mercy of God."

The letter was signed on 21 August 2025 and postmarked in Bulacan, Philippines. The authenticity of its sender and content has been verified by local government agencies, with generous assistance from the Diocese of Malolos. No matter how late, Sr Therese’s revelations are relevant in addressing several issues that have surfaced since we opened the petition last year.

I look forward to discussing the matter further in our monthly committee report this Friday.

Your humble servant,

MONSIGNOR COLM MURPHY KELLEHER, O.P.

Head, Committee on the Cause for Sainthood of Rafael Clemente

Parish Priest, Parish of the Transfiguration, Dublin