Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque

Diocese of Parañaque Dioecesis Paranaquensis Diyosesis ng Parañaque
Location
Country	Philippines
Territory	Parañaque Las Piñas Muntinlupa
Ecclesiastical province	Manila
Headquarters	8 Villonco Road, West Service Road Sucat, Muntinlupa 1770
Coordinates	14°26′56″N 121°02′26″E / 14.4488371°N 121.0405263°E / 14.4488371; 121.0405263
Statistics
Area	126 km2 (49 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2016 (2016)) 1,759,225 1,449,164 (82.38%)
Parishes	50 (4 diocesan shrines, 3 national shrines)
Churches	58
Congregations	18
Schools	12
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	December 7, 2002 (2002-12-07)
Cathedral	Cathedral-Parish of Saint Andrew and Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag
Patron saint	Andrew the Apostle Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Most Rev. Jesse E. Mercado, DD STL
Metropolitan Archbishop	Jose Cardinal Advincula
Vicar General	Rev. Msgr. Allen C. Aganon

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque (Latin: Dioecesis Paranaquensis; Filipino: Diyosesis ng Parañaque; Spanish: Diócesis de Parañaque) is a diocese of the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines which encompasses the cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa. Previously belonging to the Archdiocese of Manila, the Ecclesiastical District of Parañaque (formerly, PPLM) was declared an independent diocese on December 7, 2002 by Pope John Paul II by virtue of the Papal Bull Ad Efficacius.^[1] The district bishop, Most Rev. Jesse Eugenio Mercado, D.D., also one of the auxiliary bishops of Manila, was designated as its first bishop and was formally installed on January 28, 2003.

The diocese comprises 50 full-fledged parishes (four of which are pronounced diocesan shrines, 3 of which are national shrines), 2 quasi-parishes, and 1 non-parochial shrine. The Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag - Saint Andrew Cathedral-Parish in La Huerta, Parañaque serves as the episcopal see of the diocese.

Creation of the Diocese[]

On December 7, 2002, Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Parañaque through the Apostolic Constitution Ad efficacius, upon the recommendation of Jaime Cardinal Sin and consultation with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Franco, endorsed this request to the Congregation for Bishops, and it was considered and approved by the Pope.^[2]

Cathedral-Parish of Saint Andrew and Diocesan Shrine of Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag

It effectively carved the cities of Parañaque , Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa from the Archdiocese of Manila. The diocese thus became a suffragan of the archdiocese, with the Archbishop of Manila as its metropolitan archbishop. The parish of Saint Andrew was raised to the rank and dignity of a Cathedral being the see of Parañaque. The parish was oldest in the area, thus given the honor to be the see of the bishop and the city where it stands became eponymous to the diocese.^[3]

Bishop Jesse Mercado was appointed bishop of the diocese on the day of its establishment, and installed to be the first bishop of the Diocese of Paranaque on January 28, 2003.^[4]

At the time of its erection, the Diocese of Parañaque which has 126.50 square kilometers, has a population of 1,381,000, of which 1,269,122 were Catholics, with 48 parishes, 46 diocesan priests, 87 religious priests, 87 male religious institutes, 61 female religious institutes, 382 educational institutions and 35 charitable institutions.^[4]

Statistics[]

As of 2019, the total population within the territory of the diocese was 1,857,355, of whom 1,476,597 were Catholics.^[5]

There diocese has 50 parishes. Three of them, Baclaran Church, National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Parañaque, and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Muntinlupa, have been declared National shrines. Four are Diocesan Shrines. There are four quasi-parishes and two chaplaincies ministered to by the clergy, grouped in six vicariates: three in Parañaque, two in Las Piñas and one in Muntinlupa.^[3]

Coat of arms of the Diocese[]

The miter symbolizes the pastoral authority of the bishop over the diocese, represented by the three divisions in the shield. On top is represented the first city within the diocese and its seat, Parañaque. It is symbolized by the crown with an "M" standing for the patroness of the city, Nuestra Se��ora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag. In the middle is Las Piñas pictured by the internationally acclaimed Bamboo Organ housed in the parish of St. Joseph found in the said city. The third city of the jurisdiction of the diocese is Muntinlupa with the blazon of the small mountain near a body of water.

Red represents the Holy Spirit, and the blue, Mary. The gradation from red to blue is symbolic of the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit on Mary, thus the incarnation of Jesus (Luke 1:34). The movement from dark (color) to bright is the hope that through the episcopal ministry, the "dawn from on high shall break" (Luke 1:78) upon the people of God in the diocese.

Bishop of Parañaque[]

*The Cross – The cross is traditionally an element in most episcopal coats of arms. The Episcopal ministry is always Jesus' ministry and the bishop is only a servant of Jesus, collaborating in His ministry. * The Staff with lilies – The staff is traditionally the symbol of the pastoral authority of the bishop. The lilies denote St. Joseph, patron of the seminary from which the bishop had had his formation (San Jose Seminary, Quezon City). The bishop envisions his pastoral role as patterned after St. Joseph himself, who acted in a fatherly manner to Jesus, who was entrusted to him and Mary by the heavenly Father. * The Crown with an "M" – Mary is hailed as Queen in Heaven. But she exercises her queenship as a mother to her children entrusted to her by God. Moreover, Mary is the patroness of Parañaque, venerated under the title Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag, the first city of the diocese. * The Bamboo Organ – The Bamboo Organ is an internationally acclaimed musical instrument currently housed in the Parish of St. Joseph. This symbolizes the second city under the bishop's pastoral administration – the city of Las Piñas. * The small mountain near a body of water – This is the symbol of the third city under the pastoral care of the bishop, namely, Muntinlupa. * The Motto – "CONFIRMA FRATRES TUOS" – Taken from the gospel of Luke 22:32 wherein Jesus expressed his hope that after Peter's denial and subsequent conversion, he is commanded to strengthen his brethren (strengthen your brethren). *The color schemes – Green refers us to St. Joseph whose fatherly care to the Holy Family earned him the title patron of the Universal Church. The blue field on the other hand, refers us to Mary, who, given to the care of Joseph, conceived the child Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit (red shade). The movement from dark to bright as seen in the area of Muntinlupa is the hope that through the bishop's humble ministry, the "dawn from on high (Jesus Christ) will come upon us all" in the diocese.

Since its creation, Most Rev. Jesse Eugenio Mercado, DD, STL is the bishop of Parañaque.

Bishop Mercado was born on June 6, 1951 at Caloocan. He studied at St. Joseph School and completed his philosophical and theological formation at San Jose Seminary run by the Jesuits. After becoming a priest, he took his licentiate in theology at the Angelicum in Rome (1981-1984).

He was ordained to the priesthood on March 19, 1977 for the Archdiocese of Manila. There he served as assistant parish priest of San Isidro Parish, Pasay (1977), Spiritual Director at the San Pablo Regional Seminary, Baguio City (1977-1979), Director of the Pre-College Department of the San Carlos Seminary, Makati City (1979-1981), Professor of Theology at the San Carlos Seminary (1985-1988), Rector of the Holy Apostles Seminary, Makati City (1988-1994), and Rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome (1994-1997).

He was named Titular Bishop of Talaptula and Auxiliary Bishop of Manila on Februar 25, 1997, and ordained on March 31 of the same year.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• The Official Website of the Diocese of Parañaque