Knowing Msgr. Fred
Small stories of Msgr. Frederick “Fred” Kriekenbeek (1932–2022) — the habits and kindnesses the people who knew him still talk about. More are added as they are gathered.
On April 12, 1932, Rev. Msgr. Frederick “Fred” B. Kriekenbeek was born to a Filipino mother and a British father. He was a Harvard Law School scholar during his younger years, which he set aside to follow the vocation of a priestly life and ministry. On the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, February 2, 1961, he was ordained as a priest at St. John’s Seminary, Massachusetts.
Photo Courtesy of Ivan Joeseff/Cebu Flash Report
Back in 2018, a photo of Msgr. Fred captivated the public as he was seen controlling the traffic after a Holy Mass celebration at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu. Whenever Msgr. Fred is in a hurry for the next mission, may it be a scheduled mass or an apostolate, he has this habit of going out of his car to help in traffic control and enforcement.
Msgr. Fred was one of the pioneering exorcists in the Archdiocese of Cebu. He was given the authority to conduct exorcism by the late Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, but his position was not formalized. It was only in 2019 that Msgr. Fred was formally appointed by Archbishop Jose Palma as one of the founding members of the Archdiocese of Cebu Office of Deliverance and Exorcism (ACODE).
Photo Courtesy of the Rightful Owner
Msgr. Fred used to serve in many parishes and ministries in the Archdiocese of Cebu. A few of which are in the parishes of Sto. Rosario, Minglanilla, and Tabunok.