Monsignor David Ignacio Arceo Quitugua

Monsignor David Ignacio Arceo Quitugua grew up in Talofofo, Guam and lived through Japanese occupation during World War II.  In February 1964, he became the fifteenth CHamoru to be ordained. In April 1975, Quitugua received orders from the archbishop and the United States Catholic Conference in Washington DC to set up a refugee resettlement office in Guam.  During Operation New Life, he managed social workers, processed refugee documents, and coordinated with military officials.  Vietnamese refugees who wished to stay in Guam were referred to Quitugua, who tapped into his church network to find sponsorship and employment for the refugees so they could be released from the camps.  Often Quitugua would sponsor the refugees himself.  Overall, he remembered Operation New Life as “a great story” that he was “very happy to be a part of.”  Quitugua passed away on September 15, 2020.  ​

Photo courtesy of Guam War Survivors Memorial Foundation. ​