Julito Buhisan Cortes (born July 4, 1956) is a

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

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 ...

. He is the current Bishop of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental,

since September 2013. Before his appointment to the See of Dumaguete, Cortes was the Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu from 2002 to 2013.

Early life

Although born in

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to t ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

on 4 July 1956, Julito Buhisan Cortes is a native of

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 ...

. He is the eldest of seven children.

Education

He finished his elementary studies at Pulangyuta Elementary School (1968) in Siquijor and his high school studies at Saint Joseph Seminary (1972) in Dumaguete. He obtained his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in Philosophy degree from San Carlos Seminary College (1976) in Cebu and his Bachelor's degree in Theology at the University of Santo Tomas (1976) in Manila.

Priesthood

He was ordained to the priesthood on 24 October 1980 at the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Dumaguete City, and was assigned by Epifanio Surban, first Bishop of Dumaguete, to Saint Joseph Seminary as teacher, formator, principal, and academic dean at a time when the seminary was transitioning from a high school seminary to the college seminary that it is now.

Further Education and Higher Studies

During summers, Cortes continued his studies at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

and finished his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (1983) and Master of Arts in Higher Religious Education (1983). After several years in seminary formation work, he proceeded with advanced studies at the Angelicum University in Rome where he obtained a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (1986). This period of academic studies also enabled him to attend international courses such as “Fostering Human Religious Development” at the

Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome (1986) and “Bible and the Holy Land” at Saint George's College in Jerusalem, Israel (1988). Years later, he also attended a course on “Leadership in a Participatory Church” at the East Asian Pastoral Institute,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

(1996).

Presbyteral Ministry

Upon his return to the diocese, he was assigned by

Angel Lagdameo Angel Nacorda Lagdameo ( la, Angelus Lagdameo; 2 August 1940 – 8 July 2022) was a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Jaro from 9 May 2000 until 14 February 2018. Life and career Angel Lagdameo was born on 2 ...

, second Bishop of Dumaguete, as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Saint Joseph Seminary and later appointed him

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

as well (1989). He also became

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of the Heritage town of

Bacong Bacong, officially the Municipality of Bacong, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,207 people. Bacong was the hometown of the Visayan hero of the ...

(1997). When Lagdameo convoked the first Diocesan

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

of Dumaguete (1992), he entrusted the task of presiding officer to Cortes. These administrative functions in the diocese gave Cortes an invaluable opportunity to be delegate to two historic ecclesial events in the Philippine Church, the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (1991) and the National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal (2001). When Lagdameo was promoted as Archbishop of Jaro (2000), Cortes became the diocesan administrator of Dumaguete until the arrival of the third Bishop of Dumaguete, John Du (2001). A few months later,

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 ...

appointed Cortes as Auxiliary Bishop 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 ...

and

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 Severiana. His episcopal ordination was held at the

Dumaguete Cathedral The Saint Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral Parish ( es, Catedral Parroquial de Santa Catalina de Alejandria), better known as Dumaguete Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church and cathedral in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines. The cathedral ...

on 8 January 2002.

Episcopacy

Auxiliary Bishop

Cortes served as Auxiliary Bishop of Cebu as well as parish priest of Santo Rosario Parish (the “Quiapo of Cebu”) from January 2002 until November 2013, for almost twelve years, allowing him vast pastoral experiences and opportunities under the tutelage of two Archbishops of Cebu, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal and his successor

Jose S. Palma Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

. Aside from responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Cebu, Cortes also served as chairman of CBCP Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church from 2007 to 2013, as well as being a member of two other Commissions (Culture and Liturgy).

Bishop of Dumaguete

On 28 September 2013, Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

, appointed Cortes as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Dumaguete. His canonical installation and possession of the See of Dumaguete was on 5 December 2013 at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Dumaguete City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortes, Julito Buhisan 1956 births 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines Living people Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni People from Siquijor