The Archdiocese of Cebu (more formally the Archdiocese of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Cebu; ; ; ; ) is a
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and one of the ecclesiastical provinces of the Catholic Church in the country. It is composed of the entire civil province of
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
(Cebu and the nearby islands of
Mactan
Mactan is a densely populated island located a few kilometers (~1 mile) east of Cebu Island in the Philippines. The island is part of Cebu province and it is divided into the city of Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of Cordova. The island is sep ...
,
Bantayan, and
Camotes
Camotes Islands is a group of islands in the Camotes Sea, Philippines. Combined area is . The island group is located east of Cebu Island, southwest of Leyte Island, and north of Bohol Island. It is from Cebu City and is part of Cebu. According ...
).
It is the Mother Church of the Philippines.
The jurisdiction,
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
, is considered as the fount of Christianity in the Far East.
["Cebu—Cradle of the Philippine Church and Seat of Far-East Christianity." International Eucharistic Congress 2016, December 4, 2014, accessed December 4, 2014, http://iec2016.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Cebu%E2%80%94Cradle-of-the-Philippine-Church-and-Seat-of-Far-East-Christianity.pdf][The Church of Cebu's Basilica del Santo Niño is named by the Vatican as "mother and head of all churches in the Philippines" (''mater et caput... omnium ecclesiarum Insularum Philippinarum''). See https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/la/apost_letters/documents/hf_p-vi_apl_19650401_ut-clarificetur.html.][John Kingsley Pangan, ''Church of the Far East'' (Makati: St. Pauls, 2016),]
The seat of the archdiocese is the
Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of Saint Vitalis and of the Immaculate Conception, more commonly known as the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. The archdiocese honors
Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebú as its patroness,
St. Vitalis of Milan as its patron and titular, while the second Filipino saint
Pedro Calungsod
Pedro Calungsod ( es, Pedro Calúñgsod or archaically ; mid-1650s – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish J ...
as its secondary patron saint. The current archbishop is the Most Reverend
José Serofia Palma, DD, STh.D, who was installed on January 13, 2011. As of 2013, the archdiocese registered a total of 4,609,590 baptized Catholics.
[Cebu (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]](_blank)
/ref> It is currently the largest archdiocese in the Philippines and in Asia having the most Catholics, seminarians and priests.
Ecclesiastical Province
Its Ecclesiastical province comprises the Metropolitan's own Archbishopric and the following [ uffragan sees :
* Diocese of Dumaguete
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dumaguete (Latin: ''Dioecesis Dumaguetensis''; Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Dumaguete''; Cebuano: ''Diyosesis sa Dumaguete;'' Spanish: ''Diócesis de Dumaguete'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic ...
, in Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...
and Siquijor
Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor ...
* Diocese of Maasin, in Southern Leyte
Southern Leyte ( ceb, Habagatang Leyte; Kabalian: ''Habagatan nga Leyte''; war, Salatan nga Leyte; tl, Timog Leyte), officially the Province of Southern Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital ...
* Diocese of Tagbilaran
The Diocese of Tagbilaran is one of the 72 ecclesiastical territories called dioceses of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It is one of 2 dioceses in the province of Bohol and is part of the ecclesiastical province of the Cebu. The Diocese ...
, in southwestern Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...
* Diocese of Talibon, in northeastern Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...
History
Antecedents
The history of the future Archdiocese of Cebu began with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...
in Cebu in 1521. The Church anchored in that year by the native Cebuanos
The Cebuano people ( ceb, Mga Sugbuanon) are the largest subgroup of the larger ethnolingustic group Visayans, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the country. Their primary language is the Cebuano language, an Austro ...
' profession of faith in Christ, baptism, the daily celebration of the Mass, and the chaplain of the expedition, Fr. Pedro Valderrama being the legitimate pastor for their spiritual needs. However, immediately after its inception during the aftermath of Battle of Mactan
The Battle of Mactan ( ceb, Gubot sa Mactan; fil, Labanan sa Mactan; es, Batalla de Mactán) was a fierce clash fought in the archipelago of the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapulapu, one of the Datus of Mactan, overpowered ...
, the Church of Cebu experienced decadence due to lack of shepherds to enforce and edify the natives on the faith. Most of the natives materially apostatized, while others clung unto the image of the Santo Niño (the first Christian icon in the Philippines given as a baptismal gift by Magellan). The unintended negligence lasted for 44 years until it was re-established in 1565 by the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as '' El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spaniard who, from the age of 26, lived and built a career in Mexico (then the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and, i ...
and Fray Andrés de Urdaneta
Andrés de Urdaneta (1508 – June 3, 1568) was a maritime explorer for the Spanish Empire of Basque heritage, who became an Augustinian friar. At the age of seventeen, he accompanied the Loaísa expedition to the Spice Islands where he spe ...
. The remnant of the Cebuano Church in 1521, as evident in the person of Rajah Tupas
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...
, was resuscitated by the Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
s as an Abbey nullius
A territorial abbey (or territorial abbacy) is a particular church of the Catholic Church comprising defined territory which is not part of a diocese but surrounds an abbey or monastery whose abbot or superior functions as ordinary for all Ca ...
(an equivalent of a diocese) when the formal evangelization of the Philippines commenced with Fr. Urdaneta as the first prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
. The oversight of the natives was then succeeded to Fray Diego de Herrera who would later re-baptized Tupas TUPAS is a strong digital authentication method created by the Federation of Finnish Financial Services. TUPAS identification is a ''de facto'' standard for digital identification in Finland. It is used by all major Finnish banks including Aktia, ...
and his servants in 1568. Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established his government in Cebu, thus the first capital of the Philippines.
* The Church of Panay
The Church expanded from Cebu when the remaining missionaries led by Fr. Diego de Herrera when they were forced northwest temporarily due to conflict with the Portuguese and laid the foundations of the Christian community in the Panay
Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...
in around 1569.
* The Church of Camarines
In 1570 the second batch of missionaries reached Cebu. The island became the ecclesiastical "seat" as it was the center for evangelization. A notable missionary was Fr. Alfonso Jimenez, O.S.A., who travelled and penetrated the Camarines region through the islands of Masbate
Masbate, officially the Province of Masbate ( Masbateño: ''Probinsya san Masbate''; tl, Lalawigan ng Masbate), is an island province in the Philippines located near the midsection of the nation's archipelago. Its provincial capital is Masbate C ...
, Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
, Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
, and Burias and founded the Church there. He was called the first apostle of the region.
* The Church of Manila
By 1571, Fr. Herrera who was assigned as chaplain of Legazpi, from Panay advanced further north and founded the local Church community in Manila. There, Legazpi transferred the seat of government though Cebu remained the spiritual capital of the country.
* The Church of Ilocos-Cagayan
In 1572 the Spaniards led by Juan de Salcedo marched from Manila further north with the second batch of Augustinian missionaries and pioneered the evangelization to the communities in the Ilocos
Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...
(starting with Vigan
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people.
Loc ...
) and the Cagayan
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the C ...
regions.
Diocese of Cebu
On February 6, 1579, the Philippines' first diocese, the Diocese of Manila, had been established as a suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
of the See of Mexico. On August 14, 1595, Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605.
Born ...
issued four bulls to Spain: one with the incipit ''Super universas orbis ecclesias'' elevating the See of Manila to metropolitan status; and three with the incipit ''Super specula militantis Ecclesiae'' erecting the three suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
dioceses of Manila, which were the Diocese of Cebu, the Diocese of Nueva Cáceres, and the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.[Philippine Star: "Fray Pedro de Agurto, OSA: The first Bishop of Cebu" By Fr. Ric Anthony Reyes, OSA (The Freeman)]
October 12, 2014 The Diocese of Cebu's first bishop was Pedro de Agurto, an Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
. As a diocese, Cebú had a very extensive territory which then included the whole of the Visayas
The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...
, Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
and "more southern islands"; also it extended farther to the Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
such as the Marianas
The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
, Carolines, and Palau
Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...
.
However it lost territory repeatedly:
* on 1865.05.27 to establish then Diocese of (Santa Isabel de) Jaro (now an Archdiocese)
* on 1902.09.17 to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Mariana Islands The Apostolic Prefecture of Mariana Islands was a Roman Catholic apostolic prefecture (early missionary stage of a diocese) in Micronesia, in the South Sea.
History
It was established on 17 September 1902 in Guam, on territory previously belongi ...
* on 1910.04.10 to establish Diocese of Zamboanga
The Archdiocese of Zamboanga (Latin name: ''Archdiocesis Zamboangensis'') is a Catholic archdiocese in the Philippines. Its present jurisdiction includes Zamboanga City, with suffragans in Basilan ( Territorial Prelature of Isabela) and Zamboang ...
and Diocese of Calbayog
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calbayog is an ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church named after its episcopal see, Calbayog, a city on the western side of the province of Samar in the Philippines.
History
Samar and Leyte, two civil pro ...
* on 1932.07.15 to establish Diocese of Bacolod
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Negros Occidental, Philippines. A suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro, its jurisdiction covers most of the northwestern towns and cities of the p ...
Archdiocese of Cebu
On April 28, 1934, Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
promulgated an apostolic constitution with the incipit ''Romanorum Pontificum semper'' separating the dioceses of Cebu, Calbayog, Jaro, Bacolod, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro from the ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
of Manila. The same constitution elevated the diocese into an archdiocese while placing all the newly separated dioceses under a new ecclesiastical province with Cebu as the new metropolitan see. The last suffragan bishop, Gabriel M. Reyes, was promoted as its first Archbishop.
On November 8, 1941, it lost territory to establish Diocese of Tagbilaran
The Diocese of Tagbilaran is one of the 72 ecclesiastical territories called dioceses of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It is one of 2 dioceses in the province of Bohol and is part of the ecclesiastical province of the Cebu. The Diocese ...
as its suffragan.
Cebu was visited by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
in 1981. Between November 10, 1985 to March 1, 1986, the archdiocese held its Fourth Diocesan Synod of Cebu at the Seminaryo Mayor de San Carlos. Recently, It hosted the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
2016 International Eucharistic Congress was the 51st edition of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) which took place from January 24–31, 2016 in Cebu City, Philippines. A convention center, the International Eucharistic Congress Pavili ...
from January 24 to 31, 2016.
Beginnings of Philippine Christian Tradition
In Cebu the first baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
was made (April 14, 1521), hence, Rajah Humabon
Rajah Humabon, later baptized as Don Carlos, (died April 27, 1521) was the Rajah of Cebu (an Indianized Philippine polity). Humabon was Rajah at the time of the arrival of Portuguese-born, Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines ...
and the rest of the natives became the very first Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. In the island also was the first Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
in which Filipino converts participated. Also in the territory the first resistance against the Mohammedan
''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muham ...
advance from the south. The first Philippine Christian feast dedicated to the Sto. Niño was instituted and celebrated there. The first recorded confession and the last rites of an accused inhabitant transpired. The very first temples were erected (the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of Saint Vitalis and of the Immaculate Conception (dedicated to Mary, under her title, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and to Saint Vitalis of Milan), ...
and Basilica del Santo Niño
The Basílica Menor del Santo Niño de Cebú (Minor Basilica of the Holy Child of Cebú), commonly known as Santo Niño Basilica, is a basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in 1565 by Fray Andrés de Urdaneta and Fray Diego de ...
) in the Philippines. The first Christian Marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
transpired with Isabel, the niece of Rajah Tupas and Andres, the Greek caulker of Legazpi, and their children baptized representing the first infant baptisms.
Coat of Arms
The ecclesiastical arms of the Archdiocese of Cebu was redesigned by a professional Italian Heraldic artist, Sig. Marco Foppoli, as commissioned by the priests-secretaries of the Office of the Archbishop in the first quarter of 2021, with the facilitation and benefaction of Rev. Msgr. Jan Thomas V. Limchua.
The re-designed coat of arms of the Archdiocese consists of a simple yet traditional shield, which is the most commonly used form in ecclesiastical heraldry. In a chapé (“mantled”) ployé partition, which is formed by two arched lines drawn from the center chief to the sides, the shield itself is divided into two fields: the upper field, in red (gules); and the lower field, in blue (azure).
The upper field of red represents the Sñr. Sto. Niño de Cebu (Bato Balani sa Gugma, or Magnet of Love), whose very image, which at first was a gift during the First Baptism five hundred (500) years ago, has now become the symbol of Faith in Cebu.
On this same field are two lions: the first lion, in gold, is emblazoned with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Castile; while the other, in silver, is emblazoned with the personal coat of arms of Ferdinand Magellan—these two elements were present in the original coat of arms granted to the Archdiocese. Both refer to the Hispanic origin and nascent beginning of Catholicism in Cebu, the Cradle of Christianity in the Philippines.
These two lions support the stylized monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus inside a stylized image of the sun—symbolizing Christ as the light of the world. It is deliberately placed at the top center of the arm, representing the titular of the Archdiocese. It also recalls the life and ministry of Jesus in the words of St. Paul (Letter to the Philippians): “…he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:7-11)
The field of red also honors the Visayan Proto-Martyr, San Pedro Calungsod.
The lower field of blue symbolizes Our Lady and her motherly mantle of love and compassion for the Cebuano faithful as also portrayed by the monogram "Auspice Maria" (Under the Protection of Mary) with a gold crown (above), a silver crescent (below), and gold gloriole (around the monogram). This imagery specifically refers to her image and title, Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu, through whose intercession, and by God’s grace flowing from above, has saved Cebu from the cholera epidemic of 1902. On 16 July 2006, Virgen de Guadalupe de Cebu was canonically crowned by the authority of Pope Benedict XVI as Patroness of the Archdiocese.
The upward, arrow tip-like shape of the blue field can be understood as a reminder to the Cebuano faithful that a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary inevitably leads to a greater love for her Divine Son, Our Lord. This is reminiscent of the traditional aphorism, "Ad Jesum per Mariam" (to Jesus, through Mary).
The entire shield is surmounted by the conventional heraldic elements identifying it to be the coat of arms of an Archdiocese, namely a Miter, and the crossed Crozier and Archiepiscopal Cross.
Written on a scroll, below the arms, is the Motto of the Archdiocese: “Sanctum Nomen Eius,” which means “Holy is His Name,” taken from Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:49).
Approbations
Cebu's Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño: Mother and Head of All Churches
In the Apostolic Letter
Ecclesiastical letters are publications or announcements of the organs of Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority, e.g. the synods, but more particularly of pope and bishops, addressed to the faithful in the form of letters.
Letters of the pop ...
''Ut Clarificetur'', on the conferring the titles and privileges of the basilica, Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
in 1965 described the Cebu's now Basilica del Santo Niño
The Basílica Menor del Santo Niño de Cebú (Minor Basilica of the Holy Child of Cebú), commonly known as Santo Niño Basilica, is a basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in 1565 by Fray Andrés de Urdaneta and Fray Diego de ...
as the "Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines" (''mater et caput... omnium ecclesiarum Insularum Philippinarum''). The same Paul VI also named the basilica the "symbol of the birth and growth of Christianity in the Philippines."
Seat of Philippine Christianity
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, in his Homily for Families in Cebu (February 19, 1981), called the island as the birthplace of the faith:
Finding myself in this important city known as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines, I want to express my deep joy and profound thanksgiving to the Lord of history. The thought that for 450 years the light of the Gospel has shone with undimmed brightness in this land and on its people is cause for great rejoicing.
Ordinaries
Prelates of Cebu
*Fray Andrés de Urdaneta
Andrés de Urdaneta (1508 – June 3, 1568) was a maritime explorer for the Spanish Empire of Basque heritage, who became an Augustinian friar. At the age of seventeen, he accompanied the Loaísa expedition to the Spice Islands where he spe ...
, O.S.A † (April 1565 - June 1565), considered as first prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
of the Philippines.
*Fray Diego de Herrera, O.S.A † (June 1565 - 1569)
*Fray Martín de Rada
Martín de Rada (Pamplona, Navarre, Spain June 30, 1533 - South China Sea, June 12, 1578; also known as Herrada) was one of the first members of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) to evangelize the Philippines, as well as one of the first Christi ...
, O.S.A † (1569 - 1572)
*Fray Alfonso Jimenez, O.S.A † (1575 - 1577)''The Philippine Islands 1493-1803''
vol. 23, eds. Emma H. Blair, James A. Robertson (Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1903), 209. "In April of the year 1565, there was founded in Zebu (afterward being transferred to Manila) the church and ecclesiastical community of these islands; and its ordinary jurisdiction was allotted to the superiors of the Order of St. Augustine, who were the founders and apostles of this kingdom; they held that dignity up to the year of 57".
Suffragan Bishops of Cebu
*
Pedro de Agurto,
O.S.A † (30 August 1595 Appointed - 14 Oct 1608 Died)
*
Pedro de Arce,
O.S.A. † (17 Sep 1612 Appointed - 16 Oct 1645 Died)
* Father
Juan Velez † (26 Jan 1660 bishop elect - 1662 Died)
*
Juan López † (23 April 1663 Appointed - 14 Nov 1672), later Metropolitan
Archbishop of Manila
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila ( lat, Archidioecesis Manilensis; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; es, Arquidiócesis de Manila) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing ...
(Philippines) (1672.11.14 – death 1674.02.12)
*
Diego de Aguilar
Diego de Aguilar (active 1587) was a Spanish painter, of the Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: pr ...
,
O.P. † (16 Nov 1676 Appointed - 1 Oct 1692 Died)
*
Miguel Bayot,
O.F.M. † (13 May 1697 Appointed - 28 Aug 1700 Died)
* Pedro Sanz de la Vega y Landaverde,
O. de M.
The Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives ( la, Ordo Beatae Mariae de Mercede Redemptionis Captivorum, abbreviated O. de M.), also known as the Mercedarians, is a Catholic mendicant order es ...
† (26 Jan 1705 Appointed - 17 Dec 1717 Died)
*
Apostolic Administrator
An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
Sebastián Foronda,
O.S.A. † (2 March 1722 Appointed - 20 May 1728 Died)
* Manuel de Ocio y Campo † (20 Jan 1734 Appointed - 21 July 1737 Died)
* Protacio Cabezas † (29 Aug 1740 Appointed - 3 Feb 1753 Died)
*
Miguel Lino de Ezpeleta
Miguel Lino de Ezpeleta (sometimes spelled as ''de Espeleta''; June 1701 in Manila – July 1771 in Cebu) was a Spanish ''criollo'' born in Manila who served as the Bishop of Cebu from 1757 until his death in 1771. Consequently, he assumed the po ...
† (18 July 1757 Appointed - 1771 Died)
* Mateo Joaquin Rubio de Arevalo † (13 Nov 1775 Appointed - 1788 Died)
* Ignacio de Salamanca † (24 Sep 1792 Appointed - Feb 1802 Died)
* Joaquín Encabo de la Virgen de Sopetrán,
O.A.R.
O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...
† (20 Aug 1804 Appointed - 8 Nov 1818 Died)
* Francisco Genovés,
O.P. † (21 March 1825 Appointed - 1 Aug 1827 Died)
* Santos Gómez Marañón,
O.S.A. † (28 Sep 1829 Appointed - 23 Oct 1840 Died)
* Romualdo Jimeno Ballesteros,
O.P. † (19 Jan 1846 Appointed - 17 March 1872 Died); previously
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Ruspæ (1839.08.02 – 1846.01.19) &
Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of
Eastern Tonking (Vietnam) (1839.08.02 – 1845.06.20),
Coadjutor Bishop
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...
of Manila (Philippines) (1845.06.20 – 1846.01.19)
*
Benito Romero,
O.F.M. † (28 Jan 1876 Appointed - 4 Nov 1885 Died)
* Martín García y Alcocer,
O.F.M. † (7 June 1886 Appointed - 30 July 1904 Resigned); emeritate as
Titular Archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Bostra
Bosra ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ, Buṣrā), also spelled Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra and officially called Busra al-Sham ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام, Buṣrā al-Shām), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Dara ...
(1904.07.30 – 1926.05.20)
*
Thomas A. Hendrick † (17 July 1903 Appointed - 29 Nov 1909 Died)
* Juan Bautista Gorordo † (2 April 1910 Appointed - 19 June 1931 Resigned), succeeded ad former Titular Bishop of
Nilopolis
Nilopolis or Delas ( Coptic: ϯⲗⲟϫ ''Tilodj'') was a city in Egypt situated on the left bank of the Nile, about forty-seven miles from Memphis.
It was an episcopal see that a suffragan of the metropolitan of Oxyrynchos, in the Roman provin ...
(1909.04.29 – 1910.04.02) &
Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu (1909.04.29 – 1910.04.02); emeritate as Titular Bishop of Tacapæ (1931.06.19 – 1934.12.20)
*
Gabriel M. Reyes † (29 July 1932 Appointed - 1934.04.28 ''see below'')
Metropolitan Archbishops of Cebu
Auxiliary Bishops
Diocesan Seminaries
* Pope John XXIII Seminary, Pope John Paul II Avenue, Barangay Luz, Cebu City
''Rector:'' Rev. Fr. Allan Delima
* San Carlos Seminary College, Pope John Paul II Avenue, Barangay Luz, Cebu City
''Rector:'' Rev. Msgr. Joseph Tan P.C., S.T.L.
* Seminario Mayor de San Carlos, Pope John Paul II Avenue, Barangay Luz, Cebu City
''Rector:'' Rev. Msgr. Vicente Rey M. Penagunda, P.C., V.G.
* Spiritual Pastoral Formation Year House, Archbishop's Residence Compound, D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City
''Director:'' Rev. Fr. Alvin Raypan
Archdiocesan Calendar
The Calendar of the Archdiocese of Cebu is based on the
General Roman Calendar
The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These celebra ...
and the Philippine Standard Calendar. Below are the following additions and changes to the calendar.
* 3 January - Most
Holy Name of Jesus
In Catholicism, the veneration of the Holy Name of Jesus (also ''Most Holy Name of Jesus'', it, Santissimo Nome di Gesù) developed as a separate type of devotion in the early modern period, in parallel to that of the '' Sacred Heart''. The ...
, titular of the Archdiocese -
Solemnity
In the liturgical calendar of the Roman Rite, a solemnity is a feast day of the highest rank celebrating a mystery of faith such as the Trinity, an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Mary, his earthly father Joseph, or another important sain ...
* Third Sunday of January:
Santo Niño de Cebú
The Santo Niño de Cebú is a Roman Catholic title of the Child Jesus associated with a religious image of the Christ Child widely venerated as miraculous by Filipino Catholics. It is the oldest Christian artifact in the Philippines, originally ...
-
Solemnity
In the liturgical calendar of the Roman Rite, a solemnity is a feast day of the highest rank celebrating a mystery of faith such as the Trinity, an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Mary, his earthly father Joseph, or another important sain ...
* 28 January - Dedication of the
Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of Saint Vitalis and of the Immaculate Conception (dedicated to Mary, under her title, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and to Saint Vitalis of Milan), ...
as an Archdiocesan Cathedral -
Feast
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...
(Solemnity in the Cathedral itself)
* 29 January - Saint
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
, priest and doctor of the Church - Memorial
* 11 February - Our Lady, Health of the Sick - Optional Memorial
* 1 April -
Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
Pedro Calungsod
Pedro Calungsod ( es, Pedro Calúñgsod or archaically ; mid-1650s – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish J ...
, Cebuano
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
and Secondary Patron of the Archdiocese- Feast
* 28 April -
Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
Vitalis of Milan
Saint Vitalis of Milan ( it, San Vitale) was an early Christian martyr and saint.
Biography
His legend relates that Vitalis was a wealthy citizen of Milan, perhaps a soldier. He was married to Valeria of Milan. They are supposed to have been the ...
, martyr and Titular of the Metropolitan Cathedral - Memorial (Solemnity in the Cathedral itself)
* 15 May - Saint
Isidore the Laborer
Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, El ...
- Memorial
* 30 May - Saint
Ferdinand III of Castile
Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of ...
, king - Optional Memorial
* 2 August - Our Lady of the Angels of Portiuncula - Optional Memorial
* 16 August - Saint
Roch
Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79 (traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327, also called Rock in English, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...
- Memorial
* 19 August - Saint
Ezechiel Moreno, bishop - Memorial
* 22 August - Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas, Principal Patroness of the Visayas Region - Feast
* 10 September - Saint
Nicholas of Tolentino
Nicholas of Tolentino ( la, S. Nicolaus de Tolentino, (c. 1246September 10, 1305), known as the ''Patron of Holy Souls'', was an Italian saint and mystic. He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during ...
, priest - Optional Memorial
* 22 September - Saint
Thomas of Villanova
Thomas of Villanova (1488 – September 8, 1555), born Tomás García y Martínez, was a Spanish people, Spanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustine who was a noted preacher, asceticism, ascetic and religious writer of his day. He became an ar ...
(Sto. Tomas de Villanueva), bishop -
Memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
* 24 September - Saints
Cosmas and Damian
Cosmas and Damian ( ar, قُزما ودميان, translit=Qozma wa Demyaan; grc-gre, Κοσμᾶς καὶ Δαμιανός, translit=Kosmás kai Damianós; la, Cosmas et Damianus; AD) were two Arab physicians in the town Cyrrhus, and were r ...
, martyrs or Saint
Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are german: Wenzel, pl, Wacław, Więcesław, Wieńczysław, es, Wenceslao, russian: ...
, king martyrs- Optional Memorial
* 25 September - Saint
Vincent de Paul
Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...
, priest - Memorial
* 26 September - Saint
Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
, pope (Elevated the
Santo Niño Church into a Minor Basilica Status) - Memorial (Feast in the Basilica itself)
* 27 September - Commemoration of the
Servant of God
"Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...
Teofilo Camomot
Teofilo Bastida Camomot (3 March 1914 – 27 September 1988) was a Roman Catholic Archbishop from the Philippines. Ordained a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Cebu on 14 December 1941, he was eventually appointed an auxiliary bishop on 23 ...
, Cebu's Former Auxiliary Bishop
* 28 September - Saint
Lorenzo Ruiz
Lorenzo Ruiz ( fil, Lorenzo Ruiz ng Maynila; zh, link=no, 李樂倫; es, link=no, Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila; November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637), also called Saint Lorenzo of Manila, is a Filipino saint venerated in the Catholic Church. A ...
and Companions, martyrs - Memorial
* 18 November - Dedication of the
Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of Saint Vitalis and of the Immaculate Conception (dedicated to Mary, under her title, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and to Saint Vitalis of Milan), ...
as a Diocesan Cathedral - Feast (Solemnity in the Cathedral itself)
* 12 December -
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...
, Principal Patroness of the Archdiocese - Solemnity
See also
*
Catholic Church in the Philippines
, native_name_lang =
, image = Front view of The Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt =
, caption = Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion
, abbreviation ...
*
Archdiocese of Manila
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
*
Archdiocese of Caceres
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
*
Diocese of Talibon
*
List of the Catholic dioceses of the Philippines
This is a list of the Catholic dioceses in the Philippines (Mga Katolikong diyosesis ng Pilipinas). The dioceses' bishops comprise the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), an episcopal conference. The dioceses are grouped into ...
*
Cebu Catholic Television Network
Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN) is a broadcast television channel owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu and Fil-Products Group of Companies in the Philippines. The station's studios are located at the CCTN Broadcast Center, Car ...
References
Notes
Sources and external links
Official websiteArchdiocese of Cebuon the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines; ceb, Hugpong sa mga Obispo nga Katoliko sa Pilipinas;
bcl, Komperensya kan mga Obispo Katoliko kan Pilipinas; hil, Komperensya sang mga Obispo Katoliko sang Pilipinas; ilo, Kumperensya ti ...
website
Archdiocese of Cebu ww.catholic-hierarchy.orgRedesigned Coat of Arms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cebu, Archdiocese
Archdiocese of Cebu
The Archdiocese of Cebu (more formally the Archdiocese of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Cebu; ; ; ; ) is a Roman Rite Diocese, archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines and one of the ecclesiastical provinces of the Catholic Church i ...
Religious organizations established in the 1590s
Roman Catholic dioceses in the Philippines
Archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 16th century
Religion in Cebu
Cebu City