Bishop of Imus

The Diocese of Imus ( la, Dioecesis Imusensis; Tagalog: ''Diyosesis ng Imus''; Spanish and Chavacano: ''Diócesis de Imus'') is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Philippines that comprises the entire province of Cavite. The diocese was canonically erected on November 25, 1961, when it was excised from the Archdiocese of Manila. Imus Cathedral, located along General Castañeda Street in the ''poblacion'' of Imus, serves as the see of the diocese. It is one of twelve cathedrals founded by the Order of Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines.

The diocese is home to around 2,510,000 Roman Catholics spread across four episcopal districts, 13 vicariates, 94 parishes, a national shrine (Our Lady of La Salette), and seven were declared as diocesan shrines. There are 184 priests in the diocese, 95 of which are diocesan and 89 are religious.

In 2011, the Diocese of Imus celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its establishment. Activities were held within the diocese to mark the momentous event. Prior to the occasion, the celebration of the 5th Asian Youth Day in 2009 was also held in the diocese.

The diocese is under the patronage of the Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of the Pillar, whose feast day is celebrated on October 12. The image of Our Lady was canonically crowned by Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, then Archbishop of Manila and homegrown Bishop of Imus, in a solemn ceremony held in 2012.

History

Through the zeal of the first missionaries of spreading the Catholic faith, they also helped in founding most of the towns of Cavite province. Among the religious orders that Christianized the Caviteños were the Franciscans, the Recollects, the Dominicans and the Jesuits. They established their first center of faith in Cavite Puerto (now Cavite City). The Catholic faith first came to Imus in 1571, then in Silang in 1581, in Cavite Viejo (now Kawit) in 1587, in Maragondon in 1611, Indang in 1655, Ternate in 1700 and in San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias City) in 1758. As early as 1614, Cavite became a politico-military province."Diocese of Imus"
CBCP (Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines) Online. Retrieved on 2013-05-10.

The province of Cavite is rich with historical significance. It had been the site of many battles and uprisings against Spain, one of which was that of 1872, which resulted in the execution of three priests: Gomez, Burgos and Zamora (Gomburza). Cavite is also where General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the Philippine Independence from Spanish rule on June 12, 1898, in the town of Kawit.

The province is named after its shape, that of a hook – hence Kawit, meaning hook, in Tagalog. It is geographically situated at the very entrance to Manila Bay, a location which has made it, along with Bataan on the north, the scene of many battles in the past. It is bounded on the northwest by the Bay, on the northeast by the provinces of Rizal and Laguna, on the southwest by the province of Batangas. Its capital city is Imus, with the seat of the provincial government located in Trece Martires.

Early in the American regime, a U.S. naval garrison was stationed at Sangley Point in Cavite City after a civil government was established in 1901. Because of mutual defense agreements, this base remained in Cavite long after the country was granted its independence in 1946.

The topography of the province is gentle upward sloping towards the south, peaking in Tagaytay Ridge and Mts. Palay-Palay - Mataas-na-Gulod Range, at the border with Batangas province. Areas near the coast are flat where rice is an important crop. Fishing is another major industry in the coastal towns. The language spoken is Tagalog, which is the basis for ''Filipino'', the national language of the country. More than 60 per cent of the inhabitants live in urbanized areas because of its proximity to Manila. Today, Cavite is witnessing a more radical urbanization as factories, subdivisions, golf courses, resorts and an Export Processing Zone (EPZA) have sprung up in the province. Tagaytay, with its cool climate and a scenic view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano, draws many tourists each year.

For many centuries Cavite was under the direct control of the Archdiocese of Manila. The Diocese of Imus was created on November 25, 1961 separating Cavite from the main archdiocese. Thus, the diocese serves as suffragan to that of Manila with its own leadership. It comprises the civil province of Cavite and covers a land area of , with a population of 1,643,549 of which 76 per cent are Catholics. Its titular patroness is Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta VagaIn the message of His Excellency, Luis Antonio Cardinal Gokim-Tagle, Archbishop of Manila and former Parish priest of theparish of the Blessed Virgin Del Pilar, City of Imus and Bishop of the Diocese of Imus which covers the whole province of Cavite, he acknowledged indeed the Blessed Virginn Our Lady of Solitude of Porta Vaga is the Patron of the Province of Cavite. and Nuestra Señora del Pilar as the patroness of the diocese

On April 8, 2013, Reynaldo Gonda Evangelista was appointed by Pope Francis as the fifth bishop of Imus."Other Pontifical Acts - Monday, April 8, 2013"
Vatican Information Service. Retrieved on 2013-05-10. He is the first appointee of Pope Francis on the Catholic hierarchy of the Philippines.
GMA News Online. Retrieved 2013-04-08 He was installed last June 5, 2013.

Ordinaries

The list of the assigned bishops of the diocese since its establishment are as follows:

Timeline of bishops

See also

*Our Lady of Pillar of Imus
* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Imus
Imus
Imus
Christian organizations established in 1961
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
Imus
1961 establishments in the Philippines
Religion in Cavite