Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Territory | Laguna |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Manila |
| Metropolitan | Gaudencio Rosales |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin (or Roman) |
| Established | November 28, 1966 |
| Cathedral | St. Paul the First Hermit Cathedral |
| Patron saint | Saint Paul the First Hermit |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
The Diocese of San Pablo (Filipino: Diyosesis ng San Pablo) is a Roman Catholic diocese which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. Its patron saint or titular head is Saint Paul the Hermit. This is the only diocese in the province of Laguna.
Location
The diocese is composed of San Pablo City and the province of Laguna. It is bordered by the Archdiocese of Lipa and the Diocese of Lucena. Located at the heart of the City of San Pablo, it is the only diocese in Laguna.
History
Juan de Salcedo founded San Pablo as the kingdom of "Sampaloc". Augustinian priests built a church in the 16th century. And in 1586 it was erected as a parish and known as the "Parish of San Pablo delos Montes". In 1910 it became part of the Archdiocese of Lipa and on November 28, 1966 became an independent diocese as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. On April 18, 1967 Bishop Pedro N. Bantigue was installed as its first bishop.
Jurisdiction
At present the diocese has 80 parishes (7 are within San Pablo City), 163 priests and religious; there are 43 Catholic institutions and 49 BEC's and faith communities reportedly.
Vicariate of San Pablo
| Parish | Place | Population | Catholics | Titular | Feast Day | Parish Priest | Parochial Vicars |
| San Pablo City | Brgy. Poblacion, San Pablo City | 90, 969 | 83,122 | St. Paul the First Hermit Cathedral | Jan. 15 | Msgr. Melchor A. Barcenas, JCL | Rev. Conrado J. Rodriguez and Rev. Christian Edward L. Abao |
| Del Remedio | ADB Subd., Brgy. Del Remedio, San Pablo City | 32,015 | 28,664 | Nuestra Señora de los Remedios | Nov. 26 | Rev. Marlu V. Marasigan | |
| Calihan | Farconville Subd., Brgy. San Francisco, San Pablo City | 71,909 | 64,399 | St. Francis of Assisi | Oct. 4 | Rev. Eduardo E. Arupo | Rev. Nelson P. Hernandez |
| San Roque | Buncayo Park Subd., Brgy. San Roque, San Pablo City | 25,130 | 21,253 | San Roque | Aug. 16 | Msgr. James A. Contreras, JCL | |
| Concepcion | Brgy. Concepcion, San Pablo City | 25,163 | 23,407 | Immaculate Conception | Dec. 8 | Rev. Mauricio A. Llarena (Parish Administrator) | |
| San Gabriel | Ph. 2, Teomora Village, Brgy. San Gabriel, San Pablo City | 16,397 | 15,124 | San Gabriel Archangel | Sept. 29 | Rev. Romulo O. Ponte | |
| Alaminos | Brgy. Poblacion, Alaminos, Laguna | 44,419 | 35,401 | Our Lady of the Pillar | Oct. 12 | Rev. Rex MP. delos Angeles and Rev. Modelo N. del Valle (Co-Pastor) |
Lack of Priests
It came up for a solution for the decreasing and small number of priests. It is the opening of a high school seminary in 1968. But this seminary lasted for thirteen years. In 1981, the Saint Peter's College Seminary was established located in Brgy. Concepcion, San Pablo City.
Catholic Life and Present Situation
San Pableños were considered as God-loving people. Many lay ministers participate church activities. On Sundays churches are loaded with people. About 1,900,000 are diocesans of it. The current ordinary is the Most. Rev. Bishop Leo M. Drona, S.D.B., D.D., succeeding the Most. Rev. Bishop Francicsco C. San Diego in 2004, wherein the latter is reassigned to the Diocese of Pasig.
External links