Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque (
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: ''Dioecesis Paranaquensis'';
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 ...
: ''Diyosesis ng Parañaque''; Spanish: ''Diócesis de Parañaque'') is a
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...
of the
Latin rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...
of the
Roman 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
Metro Manila, Philippines Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...
which encompasses the cities of
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 ...
,
Las Piñas Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 606,293 people. Las Piñas ...
, and
Muntinlupa Muntinlupa, officially the City of Muntinlupa ( fil, Lungsod ng Muntinlupa), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the ...
. Previously belonging to the
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 ...
, the Ecclesiastical District of Parañaque (formerly, PPLM) was declared an independent diocese on December 7, 2002 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 ...
by virtue of the Papal Bull ''Ad Efficacius''. The district bishop, Most Rev. Jesse Eugenio Mercado, D.D., also one of the auxiliary bishops of
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 ...
, was designated as its first and only bishop and was formally installed on January 28, 2003. The diocese comprises 50 full-fledged parishes (four of which are pronounced diocesan shrines, 3 of which are national shrines), 2 quasi-parishes, and 1 non-parochial shrine. The Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag - Saint Andrew Cathedral-Parish in La Huerta, Parañaque serves as the
episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...
of the diocese.


Creation of the Diocese

On December 7, 2002,
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 ...
erected the Diocese of Parañaque through the Apostolic Constitution ''Ad efficacius'', upon the recommendation of
Jaime Cardinal Sin Jaime Lachica Sin ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and formally known as Jaime Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardinal from ...
and consultation with 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 ...
. The
Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...
, Archbishop Antonio Franco, endorsed this request to the
Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dic ...
, and it was considered and approved by the Pope. It effectively carved the cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa from the Archdiocese of Manila. The diocese thus became 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 archdiocese, with the Archbishop of Manila as its
metropolitan archbishop Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
. The parish of Saint Andrew was raised to the rank and dignity of a Cathedral being the see of Parañaque. The parish was oldest in the area, thus given the honor to be the see of the bishop and the city where it stands became eponymous to the diocese. Bishop Jesse Mercado was appointed bishop of the diocese on the day of its establishment, and installed to be the first bishop of the Diocese of Paranaque on January 28, 2003. At the time of its erection, the Diocese of Parañaque which has 126.50 square kilometers, has a population of 1,381,000, of which 1,269,122 were Catholics, with 48 parishes, 46 diocesan priests, 87 religious priests, 87 male religious institutes, 61 female religious institutes, 382 educational institutions and 35 charitable institutions.


Statistics

As of 2019, the total population within the territory of the diocese was 1,857,355, of whom 1,476,597 were Catholics. There diocese has 50
parish 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 ...
es. Three of them,
Baclaran Church The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help ( fil, Pambansáng Dambana ng Iná ng Laging Saklolo), also known as the Redemptorist Church and colloquially as Baclaran Church, is a prominent national shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Perpet ...
, National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Parañaque, and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Muntinlupa, have been declared National shrines. Four ar
Diocesan Shrines
There are four quasi-parishes and two chaplaincies ministered to by the clergy, grouped in six vicariates: three in Parañaque, two in Las Piñas and one in Muntinlupa.


Coat of arms of the Diocese

The miter symbolizes the pastoral authority of the bishop over the diocese, represented by the three divisions in the shield. On top is represented the first city within the diocese and its seat, Parañaque. It is symbolized by the crown with an "M" standing for the patroness of the city, Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso de Palanyag. In the middle is Las Piñas pictured by the internationally acclaimed
Bamboo Organ The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ in St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas, Philippines, is a 19th-century church organ. It is known for its unique organ pipes; of its 1031 pipes, 902 are made of bamboo. It was completed after 6 years of work in 182 ...
housed in the parish of St. Joseph found in the said city. The third city of the jurisdiction of the diocese is Muntinlupa with the
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
of the small mountain near a body of water. Red represents the Holy Spirit, and the blue, Mary. The gradation from red to blue is symbolic of the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit on Mary, thus the incarnation of Jesus (Luke 1:34). The movement from dark (color) to bright is the hope that through the episcopal ministry, the "dawn from on high shall break" (Luke 1:78) upon the people of God in the diocese.


Bishop of Parañaque

Since its creation, Most Rev. Jesse Eugenio Mercado, DD, STL is the bishop of Parañaque. Bishop Mercado was born on June 6, 1951 at Caloocan. He studied at St. Joseph School and completed his philosophical and theological formation at
San Jose Seminary , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...
run by the Jesuits. After becoming a priest, he took his licentiate in theology at the Angelicum in Rome (1981-1984). He was ordained to the priesthood on March 19, 1977 for the Archdiocese of Manila. There he served as assistant parish priest of San Isidro Parish, Pasay (1977), Spiritual Director at the San Pablo Regional Seminary, Baguio City (1977-1979), Director of the Pre-College Department of the San Carlos Seminary, Makati City (1979-1981), Professor of Theology at the
San Carlos Seminary The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. It was established in the year 1702, by decree of King Philip V of Spain. At present, the institution houses seminarians belo ...
(1985-1988), Rector of the Holy Apostles Seminary, Makati City (1988-1994), and Rector of the
Pontificio Collegio Filippino The Pontificio Collegio Filippino (English: ''Pontifical Filipino College''; Filipino: ''Dalubhasaang Pilipinong Pontipikal''), officially named the ''Pontificio Collegio Seminario de Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje'' (English: ''Pontifical ...
in Rome (1994-1997). He was named Titular Bishop of Talaptula and Auxiliary Bishop of Manila on Februar 25, 1997, and ordained on March 31 of the same year.


References


External links


The Official Website of the Diocese of Parañaque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paranaque Roman Catholic dioceses in the Philippines Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Manila Christian organizations established in 2002 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 21st century 2002 establishments in the Philippines Parañaque