Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo

Diocese of San Pablo Dioecesis Sancti Pauli in Insulis Philippinis Diyosesis ng San Pablo Diócesis de San Pablo
Restored San Pablo Cathedral façade.
Coat of arms
Location
Country	Philippines
Territory	Laguna
Ecclesiastical province	Manila
Metropolitan	Manila
Statistics
Area	1,203 km2 (464 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2018) 3,599,991 2,915,993 (81.0%)
Parishes	89
Schools	37
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	November 28, 1966
Cathedral	Saint Paul the First Hermit Cathedral
Patron saint	Saint Paul the First Hermit
Secular priests	210 (135 diocesan, 75 religious)
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Buenaventura M. Famadico
Metropolitan Archbishop	Jose Cardinal Advincula
Vicar General	Rev. Fr. Ricardo D. De Luna, J.C.L.
Episcopal Vicars	Rev. Fr. Jorge Seldon V. Coronado (District I) Msgr. Mario Rafel M. Castillo, PC (District II) Rev. Fr. Reynaldo C. Hayag (District III) Rev. Fr. Luis A. Tolentino (District IV)
Judicial Vicar	Msgr. James A. Contreras, JCL
Bishops emeritus	Leo M. Drona
Website
www.dioceseofsanpablo.net

The Diocese of San Pablo (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Pauli in Insulis Philippinis, Filipino: Diyosesis ng San Pablo, Spanish: Diócesis de San Pablo) is a Roman Catholic diocese which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. Its patron saint or titular is Saint Paul the Hermit, the only one in the world dedicated to him.

Location[]

The diocese covers the entire province of Laguna. It is bordered southwest by the Archdiocese of Lipa in Batangas, north by the Diocese of Antipolo in Rizal and the Laguna de Bay, west by the Diocese of Imus in Cavite, east by the Prelature of Infanta and southeast by the Diocese of Lucena in Quezon, and northwest by the Diocese of Parañaque in Metro Manila.^[1]

Ordinaries[]

• Most Rev. Pedro Natividad Bantigue (January 26, 1967 to July 12, 1995)
• Most Rev. Francisco Capiral San Diego (July 12, 1995 to June 28, 2003)
• Most Rev. Leo Murphy Drona, SDB (May 14, 2004 to January 25, 2013)
• (January 25, 2013 to present)

History[]

The seed of Christianity was planted first in the town of Majayjay in 1571, as Augustinian missionaries were in the place and made contact with the natives. Augustinian priests in 1586 erected a parish known as the "Parish of San Pablo delos Montes". It was until 1578 when the Franciscan Apostolic Province of San Gregorio Magno was established in the Philippines and in Laguna. The two missionaries, Padre Juan de Plasencia and Padre Diego de Oropesa founded on that same year formal settlements of Lumbang (Lumban) and Pila to become their primary residencia. Later, now-Saint Peter Baptist, being the Minister Provinciale of the Franciscans in the Philippines expanded further the establishment of parishes and pueblos, namely of Longos, Pakil, and San Antonio in 1587.

Several religious orders also took hold of parishes and lands, such as the Dominicans (in Binan, Santa Rosa, some in San Pedro and Calamba, even in Cabuyao), the Society of Jesus (in San Pedro and Calamba) and the Augustinians (San Pablo, Bay, and Los Banos; they were later succeeded by Franciscans).

During the Revolution, churches were sacked and its properties, looted; priests were either massacred or escaped or even arrested by the Katipunan. In order to fill the curate of souls, Filipino native priests took possession of these churches.

With the advent of the Americans, there came Masonic ideals in schools and societies. The Philippine Independent Church known popularly as Aglipayans took hold of their presence in some towns such as Santa Cruz and Nagcarlan.

In order to revitalize the Christian life of the faithful in Laguna, missionary activities were made by the Redemptorists and the Jesuits. Devotions to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, to the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, and Flores de Mayo were utilized and prospered in each barrio and towns. Apostolates attracted the local elites.

In 1917, a seminario menor was opened under the auspices of the priests of the Congregation of the Mission until 1941 in San Pablo City.

Until 1910, Laguna was part of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese (now Archdiocese) of Manila; thus, the Diocese of San Pablo was carved out from the newly-constituted Diocese of Lipa. The new Diocese was erected through the Apostolic Constitution Ecclesiarum per ampla in November 28, 1966 by Pope Saint Paul VI.

Pedro Bantigue y Natividad was installed as its first bishop on April 18, 1967, and becoming its Bishop Emeritus in 1995 until his death in 2012. He was succeeded by the late Most Rev. Francisco San Diego in 1995 who was later transferred as first Bishop of the Diocese of Pasig. Following San Diego was Most Rev. Leo M. Drona, a Salesian (Society of Saint Francis of Sales), in 2004. At present, the diocese is led by the Most Rev. Buenaventura M. Famadico, who was installed as fourth Bishop of San Pablo on March 2, 2013.^[2]

Feast Day[]

The feast day of the Diocese is celebrated every January 15. The anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral is a day before the feast day, every January 14. For the Cathedral itself, it is ranked with Solemnity (I class; Double I class with common octave in the whole Diocese), but for the parishes in its jurisdiction, it is celebrated with a rank of Feast. The same principle goes with the feast of the Patron the next day.

Seminaries[]

Because of the shortage of priests in the Diocese, there have been several priests that were incardinated into the Diocese. With Most Rev. Pedro Bantigue as the newly-appointed bishop at that time, he established a seminary, following the canonical erection of the Diocese of San Pablo.

The San Pablo Minor Seminary was opened in 1968, but was eventually closed in 1981. In that same year, the major seminary of the Diocese was established, namely, the Saint Peter's College Seminary, in order to stress the obedience of those under the Diocese towards the See of Peter. It was inaugurated on July 6, 1981 under Most Rev. Msgr. Elias O. Poblete, J.C.D., M.Ed., Ph.D.

The said seminary is currently located in Brgy. Concepcion, San Pablo City and serves as the philosophy college seminary of the diocese.  

The other seminary, the San Pablo Theological Formation House, is located in Tagaytay City, Cavite, serves as the formation house for the theology seminarians of the diocese. It was named after Saint Paul the Apostle, as it was formerly named after the Patron of the Diocese, Saint Paul the First Hermit.^[2]

See also[]

• Roman Catholic churches in Laguna

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo.

• Catholic Hierarchy: Diocese of San Pablo
• Official Website of the Diocese of San Pablo