Roman Catholic Diocese of Legazpi

Diocese of Legazpi

Diœcesis Legazpiensis

Diocesis kan Legazpi
Diyosesis ng Legazpi
Catholic
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi
Coat of arms
Location
Country Philippines
TerritoryAlbay
Ecclesiastical provinceCaceres
MetropolitanCaceres
Coordinates13°08′18″N 123°44′01″E / 13.1384°N 123.7336°E / 13.1384; 123.7336
Statistics
Area2,552 km2 (985 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2021)
1,487,322
1,376,482[1] (93.2%)
Parishes49
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJune 29, 1951
CathedralSaint Gregory the Great Cathedral
Patron saintOur Lady of Salvation
Secular priests101
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopJoel Zamudio Baylon
Metropolitan ArchbishopRex Andrew Alarcon
Vicar GeneralRev. Msgr. Crispin C. Bernarte, Jr., P.C. V.G.
Rev. Msgr. Ramon C. Tronqued, P.C, V.G.
Bishops emeritusNestor Celestial Cariño Bishop Emeritus (2005-2007)
Lucilo B. Quiambao Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus (1982-2009)
Map
Territorial jurisdiction of the Diocese of Legazpi
Territorial jurisdiction of the Diocese of Legazpi
Statistics from Catholic-Hierarchy.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Legazpi (Latin: Dioecesis Legazpiensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church. It constitutes the entire province of Albay in the Philippines.

The diocese was erected in 1951, carved from territory of the Archdiocese of Cáceres, to which it is a suffragan. In 1974, the diocese was partitioned to form the Diocese of Virac.

Most Rev. Joel "Bong" Z. Baylon, D.D. is the current Bishop of Legazpi, after serving as Bishop of Masbate. Prior to his appointment, Auxiliary Bishop of Legazpi Lucilo Quiambao had been the apostolic administrator of the diocese since Bishop Nestor Cariño's retirement in 2007. Baylon is assisted by his vicars-general, Ramón Tronqued, PC VG and Crispin Bernarte, VG.

Coat of arms

The Mayon Volcano which towers over the city of Legazpi occupies the center of the shield. The papal cross surmounted by the nimbed dove symbolizes Saint Gregory the Great, the titular of the cathedral. The dove is an allusion to the testimony of Peter the Deacon who said that he oftentimes saw the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove hover above the saint while he dictated his works. The rose symbolizes Our Lady of Peñafrancia to whom all Bicolanos have a great devotion. The lily at the base represents the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the principal church of Virac, Catanduanes in Catanduanes which belongs to the diocese (until 1974).[2]

Activism

Bishop Joel "Bong" Z. Baylon, D.D., in his open letter to the present Administration, censured the governments's environmental protection failure resulting in massive urban flooding in Albay. The Legaspi Diocese traced its causes to unregulated greed of private individuals, illegal quarry, substandard public infrastructure and ineffective flood protection projects.[3]

Bishops

Ordinaries

# Picture Name From Until Coat of Arms
1 Flaviano Barrechea Ariola May 15, 1952
appointed
November 27, 1968
resigned
2 Teotimo Cruel Pacis, C.M. May 23, 1969
appointed
June 4, 1980
resigned
3 Concordio Maria Sarte August 12, 1980
appointed
November 22, 1991
died
4 José Crisologo Sorra March 1, 1993
appointed
April 1, 2005
retired
5 Nestor Celestial Cariño April 1, 2005
appointed
November 7, 2007
resigned
Sede Vacante -

Apostolic Administrator

Lucilo Barrameda Quiambao November 7, 2007 October 1, 2009
6 Joel Zamudio Baylon October 1, 2009
appointed
present

Auxiliary Bishops

# Picture Name From Until Coat of Arms
1 Nestor Celestial Cariño 1978 1980

(appointed Bishop of Borongan)

2 Lucilo Barrameda Quiambao 1982 2009

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

  • José Crisologo Sorra, appointed Bishop of Virac in 1974; later returned here as Bishop
  • Joel Zamudio Baylon, appointed Bishop of Masbate in 1998; later returned here as Bishop

See also

References

  1. ^ "Diocese of Legazpi". GCatholic.org. Retrieved September 11, 2023. catholics=1,376,482
  2. ^ Madriaga, Mariano (1957). "The Coats-of-Arms of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions in the Philippines: Part II. The Suffragan Sees in the Luzon Area". Philippine Studies. 5 (4): 420–430. JSTOR 42719342. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Lagarde, Roy (November 25, 2024). "'Regulate the greed': Albay bishop calls halt to environment abuse". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 26, 2024.

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