Niere, Dionisio Mahinay (1926–1992)

Dionisio Mahinay Niere was a pastor and church administrator. Under his leadership several important institutions in the Philippines, including Central Philippine Adventist College, were established.

Early Life, Education, and Marriage

Dionisio Mahinay Niere was born October 3, 1926, in Samal, Davao del Norte, Philippines, to Hilario Niere and Placida Mahinay Niere. Dionisio was raised and spent his childhood in Davao. He was baptized in 1938 at the age of 12.¹

Dionisio graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in philosophy and a minor in history at Philippine Union College (now Adventist University of the Philippines [AUP] located at Putingkahoy, Cavite, Philippines) at Baesa, Caloocan City, Philippines.² In 1956 he took Andrews University extension classes at the Philippine Union College campus. He married Virginia Llaguno, a registered nurse from Tacloban City, Leyte, on June 13, 1954. Virginia was born September 2, 1928 and was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church in December 1949. Their marriage was blessed with five children, three boys and two girls. They are: Lemuel, Orlyn, Orlyn Ross, Joni Jene, and Ellen Grace.³

Ministry

Dionisio became a student colporteur at the age of 21. Every summer he sold books, a work he did from 1947 to 1951 in Southern Mindanao Mission territory. He officially started working for the Adventist denomination as Assistant Publishing Secretary at Central Luzon Mission from April 1953 to December 1954. In addition to being an excellent Christian salesman, he was also a passionate preacher. His passion as an evangelist brought him back to Mindanao Island as evangelist in Northern Mindanao Mission from January 1955 to August 1957. It was while he was in this work that he received his Ministerial License. As the Adventist movement continues to break barriers and open new frontiers, so the demand for talents and expertise results in the constant movement of workers from one territory to another, and this was true in the ministry of Dionisio. After serving Mindanao as an evangelist for three years, he was called to the East Visayan Mission (now Central Visayan Conference) as Publishing director from September 1957 to December 1959. In recognition of his ministerial calling, at age 33 he was ordained as a minister on March 28, 1959.^{4, 5} A few months after his ordination, Dionisio returned to Mindanao as evangelist for the Western Mindanao Mission from January 1960 to June 1964. His passion for proclaiming God’s love brought him back to work in the South Philippine Union Mission as an evangelist from July 1964 to December 1965.⁶ Ever willing to serve God and His church, Pastor Niere was ready to accept any responsibility the church gave him. He became the Voice of Prophecy director in the Central Philippine Union Mission in Visayas from January 1966 to December 1967. Having been proven mature in the faith, he was given the responsibility as the fourth president of the Central Visayan Mission from January 1968 to December 1969.⁷ He then moved to the Central Philippine Union Mission as a Lay Activities, Public Relations, Temperance, and Ministerial director from January 1970 to January 1974.⁸ From February 1974 to December 1975 Dionisio served in the East Visayan Mission in Tacloban City, Leyte, as president. Then he returned to the Central Philippine Union Mission as evangelist and Voice of Prophecy director from January 1976 to December 1977.⁹ His work in the union was cut short due to his election as president of Negros Mission. For almost three years he faithfully carried out this work until the next constituency meeting when he was elected president of the Central Philippine Union Mission, which he did from December 1980 to December 1987.¹⁰ As a visionary leader, God used him in the establishment of Central Philippine Adventist College in Alegria, Murcia, Negros Occidental; East Visayan Adventist Academy in Tambis, Javier, Leyte; and the Food Factory and the Literature Ministry Seminary both in Bulacao, Talisay City, Cebu.¹¹ In his entire ministry, his daughter recalled, they moved due to work assignments 25 times.¹²

Later Life and Contribution

Dionisio M. Niere was president of Central Philippine Union Mission when he retired at the age of 61 on December 31, 1987, after 35 years of exemplary service.¹³ He died at the age of 65 on January 24, 1992, in his hometown in Tisa, Labangon, Cebu City, Philippines.¹⁴

Pastor Niere is well remembered as the builder of Central Philippine Adventist College in Alegria, Murcia, Negros Occidental, and other subsidiary institutions which remain operational and standing as living memories of his able leadership and dedication to the ministry.

Sources

Anderson, Roy Allan. “1959 Overseas Ordination.” Ministry: Official Journal of the Ministerial Association of Seventh-day Adventists, vol. 33, no. 3, March 1960, 39.

Arrogante, Florencio M. “One Hundred and Fifty-Four Baptized.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, May 1959.

Arrogante, Florencio M. “Philippines Biennial Meeting features Ordination, Baptism.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, August 27, 1959.

Milaor-Poblete, Paz. “Graduation at Philippine Union College.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, July 1953.

Montaña, Leodegario E. “Breakthrough on Samar Island.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, December 1973.

“Niere, Dionisio M.” Far Eastern Division Retirement Confirmation. Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, CPUC Secretariat. Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines: Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Pallasa, Nelson S. “Health and Bible Crusades Net 1,410 in One Baptism.” ARH,

August 13, 1987.

Roth, Don A. “Changes in Central Philippines.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, February 1968.

Wood, Kenneth H. “News Notes from the World Divisions.” ARH, vol. 154, no. 14, April 7, 1977.

“Worker’s Record of Dionisio Mahinay Niere.” Central Philippine Union Conference (CPUC) of Seventh-day Adventists, CPUC Secretariat. Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines: Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Notes

1. “Worker’s Record of Dionisio Mahinay Niere,” Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, CPUC Secretariat. Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines: Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.↩

2. Paz Milaor-Poblete “Graduation at Philippine Union College,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, July 1953, 15.↩

3. “Worker’s Record of Dionisio Mahinay Niere.”↩

4. Florencio M. Arrogante, “One Hundred and Fifty-Four Baptized,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, May 1959, 8; Florencio M. Arrogante, “Philippines Biennial Meeting features Ordination, Baptism,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, August 27, 1959, 19-20.↩

5. Florencio M. Arrogante, “Philippines Biennial Meeting features Ordination, Baptism,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, August 27, 1959, 19-20.↩

6. Roy Allan Anderson, “1959 Overseas Ordination,” Ministry, vol. 33, no. 3, March 1960, 39.↩

7. Don A. Roth, “Changes in Central Philippines,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, February 1968, 11.↩

8. Leodegario E. Montaña. “Breakthrough on Samar Island,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, December 1973, 9.↩

9. Kenneth H. Wood, “News Notes from the World Divisions,” ARH, vol. 154, no. 14, April 7, 1977, 27.↩

10. Nelson S. Pallasa, “Health and Bible Crusades Net 1,410 in One Baptism,” ARH, August 13, 1987, 16.↩

11. Ellen Grace Niere, interview by author, Central Visayan Conference, Cebu City, August 7, 2017.↩

12. Ibid.↩

13. “Niere, Dionisio M.,” Far Eastern Division Retirement Confirmation, Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Central Philippine Union Conference Secretariat, Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines: Central Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.↩

14. Ibid.↩