The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig (; ) is the

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, prov ...

of the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

that comprises the cities of

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (), is a highly-urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the eastern border of Metro Mani ...

and

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

(with the exception of the Embo barangays that were previously part of

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

which are under the jurisdiction of

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 ...

and Fort Bonifacio which are under the jurisdiction of

Military Ordinariate of the Philippines The Military Ordinariate of the Philippines is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or military ordinariate of the Catholic Church in the Philippines serving the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Phi ...

), and the municipality of

Pateros Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros (; ), is the lone municipality of the Philippines, municipality of Metropolitan Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,227 people. This munic ...

, in

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

. It was established by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on June 28, 2003, by virtue of the papal bull ''Dei Caritas''. It was formally and canonically erected on August 21, 2003, with the installation of Francisco C. San Diego as its first bishop. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral-Parish, located in the central vicinity of Pasig, was made the cathedral or the seat of the diocese.

Historical background

Prior to the establishment as a local church, the present-day Diocese of Pasig used to be a part of the

(largely under the Ecclesiastical District of Makati). The Vicariate of Santo Tomas de Villanueva was then under the

Diocese of Antipolo The Diocese of Antipolo (Latin: ''Dioecesis Antipolensis'', Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Antipolo'', Spanish: ''Diócesis de Antipolo'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that compri ...

. The oldest parishes, built during the Spanish colonialization period, were in Pasig (Immaculate Conception), Pateros (San Roque), and Taguig (Saint Anne). In 1953, the community of Santolan, Pasig was granted a parish of their own, Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish, which was followed by the establishment of new parishes in Rosario and Bicutan (1963), Tipas and Bagong Ilog (1969), and Barrio Capitolyo (1976). The northeastern side of Pasig, which comprises the barangays of Manggahan, Santolan, De La Paz, Santa Lucia, and Rosario, was given to the newly established

in 1983. Between 1985 and 1995, six chapels of the Immaculate Conception Parish were elevated as independent parishes. Parishes belonging to the Vicariate of the Immaculate Conception and to the municipalities of Taguig and Pateros were part of the Ecclesiastical District of Makati, which was then headed by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Crisostomo Yalung. In October 2001, these parishes were carved out to form the new Ecclesiastical District of Pasig, with Nestor Cariño, then Secretary-General of the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (abbreviated as CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their terr ...

(now bishop-emeritus of Legazpi), as its lone district bishop. Between the years 2000 and 2003, in preparation for the erection of the new diocese, some juridical changes to the district took place. Barangays San Antonio and Oranbo, which formerly belonged to Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

, were turned over to Holy Family Parish. The military chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption in Fort Bonifacio was turned over by the Military Ordinariate to the Archdiocese of Manila in 2000 and was renamed Saint Michael Chaplaincy. Saint Joseph Chapel in Upper Bicutan, Taguig, which belonged to San Martin de Porres Parish in Parañaque City, became an independent parish under the District of Pasig in 2002. On June 28, 2003, few months after carving out the dioceses of

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

and

Novaliches Novaliches is a place that forms the northern areas of Quezon City, and encompasses the whole area of Caloocan, North Caloocan. Etymology The name Novaliches came from the name of the small village of Novaliches in the town of Jérica in Spai ...

from the Archdiocese of Manila, Pope John Paul II decreed the erection of three more new dioceses in response to the surging pastoral needs of the faithful of the archdiocese. With the promulgation of the papal bull ''Dei Caritas'', the Pope officially established the new Diocese of Pasig and appointed Francisco Capiral San Diego, then bishop of San Pablo, Laguna, as its first bishop. The Vicariate of Santo Tomas de Villanueva was separated from the Diocese of Antipolo to be included in the new diocese. The diocese was canonically erected on August 21, 2003, with the installation of Bishop

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in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Franco, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin, and the bishops gracing the occasion. Bishop San Diego named the district's episcopal vicar, Rodolfo Gallardo, as the first

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

, Roy Rosales as the first

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, Pedro Enrique Rabonza IV as judicial vicar, Amando Litana as superintendent of Catholic schools, and Manuel Gabriel as the diocesan pastoral director. In December 2003, Msgr. Gallardo was installed second rector of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral-Parish. After he retired as vicar-general and cathedral rector in February 2005, he was succeeded by Bishop San Diego as acting parish priest and rector. The bishop named Ramil Marcos, his private secretary and vice-chancellor, as the second

of the diocese and Roy Rosales as the fourth rector of the cathedral. In 2006, he appointed Orlando Cantillon as the new vicar general. During his term, Bishop San Diego worked for the improvement of the Catholic cemetery and the construction of the bishop's residence and diocesan offices within the vicinity of the cathedral. He started a retirement plan fund for the clergy and summoned a general pastoral assembly for lay leaders in the diocese. Due to the shortage of parish priests, he entrusted a number of parishes to guest priests as priests-in-charge or administrators. His term was marked by the papal canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Pasig in the cathedral on December 7, 2008, the solemn declaration of San Roque Parish in Pateros as the ''Diocesan Shrine of Santa Marta'' on February 7, 2009, and the establishment of Tanyag Chapel, which belonged to Sagrada Familia Parish, as a quasi-parish (Our Mother of Perpetual Help Quasi-Parish) on September 8, 2010. On December 21, 2010, Pope

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

accepted San Diego's retirement as bishop and named Manila Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales as concurrent

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 ...

of the diocese. On April 20, 2011, the Pope appointed Mylo Hubert Claudio Vergara, bishop of San Jose, Nueva Ecija, as the second bishop of Pasig. During his term, Bishop Vergara strengthened the lay evangelization programs in the diocese, invited some religious orders to administer a number of parishes in the diocese, and oversaw the inauguration of the ''Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol'' (House of Good Shepherd) Building within the vicinity of Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish to house the new bishop's residence and diocesan offices on April 24, 2017. On September 15, 2012, he established San Vicente Ferrer Quasi-Parish in Palar Village, Barangay Pinagsama, Taguig and later elevated Our Mother of Perpetual Help Quasi-Parish in Bagong Tanyag (2015), St. Michael the Archangel Chaplaincy in Fort Bonifacio (2017), and St. Vincent Ferrer Quasi-Parish in Palar (2018) to full-fledged parochial status.

Clergy

Ordinaries

Vicar-General

The vicar-general assists the bishop in the administrative duties over the diocese. Since the time of Ramil Marcos, the vicar-general serves also as adviser for the diocesan seminarians. *(Lt. Col.) Rodolfo A. Gallardo (2003 to 2005) * Ramil R. Marcos (2005 to 2006) *Orlando B. Cantillon (2006–present)

Board of Consultors

Priests with key positions to the diocese, as of June 1, 2023, are as follows: *Bishop – Most. Rev. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara *

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

– Rev. Fr. Orlando B. Cantillon (''preceded by Ramil R. Marcos'') *Moderator Curiae - Rev. Fr. Mariano L. Baranda *Episcopal Vicar for the Clergy – Rev. Fr. Amando N. Litana *Episcopal Vicar for Guest Priests – Rev. Fr. Renier N. Llorca (''preceded by Paulino G. Balagtas'') * Judicial Vicar – Rev. Fr. Elpidio Geneta, JCD *

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

– Rev. Fr. Joeffrey Brian V. Catuiran, JCL , Rev. Fr. Rodifel De Leon (Vice) *

Oeconomus ''Oikonomos'' (, from - 'house' and - 'rule, law'), Latinized œconomus, oeconomus, or economos, was an Ancient Greek word meaning "household manager." In Byzantine times, the term was used as a title of a manager or treasurer of an organizati ...

(Treasurer) – Rev. Fr. Orlindo F. Ordoña * Superintendent of Catholic Schools – Rev. Fr. Daniel L. Estacio

Presbyteral Council

*''Ex Officio'' Members – all the members of the Board of Consultors *Permanent Members (Vicars Forane) : Vicariate of the Immaculate Conception – Mariano Baranda : Vicariate of Santo Tomas de Villanueva – Reynaldo Reyes : Vicariate of Saint Anne – Loreto Sanchez Jr. : Vicariate of Santo Niño – Orlindo Ordoña *Other Members: : Glenn Gaabucayan : Reynaldo Reyes : Joselito Jopson : Hernandez Mendoza : Adriano Amores, Jr. : Edmond Reynaldo : Arnold Eramiz : Jorge Jesus Bellosillo : Emmanuel Hipolito : Rodolfo Paragas :

Diocesan commissions and ministries

Below is the list of priests who chair the respective diocesan ministries or commissions. *Basic Ecclesial Communities - Rev. Fr. Joselito Jopson , Rev. Fr. Julius V. De Gracia (Asst.) *BIblical Apostolate - Rev. Fr. Reynaldo Reyes *Caritas Pasig, Inc. - Rev. Fr. Edmond Reynaldo *Cultural Heritage of the Church - Rev. Fr. Roy Rosales *Diocesan Council for the Laity - Rev. Fr. Orlando Cantillon *Exorcism -Rev. Fr. Daniel Estacio *Ecology - Rev. Fr. Edmond Reynaldo *Ecumenism and Inter-Faith Dialogue - Rev. Fr. Reynaldo Reyes *Catechetics - Rev. Fr. Bernardo Carpio , Rev. Fr. John Michael Mallanao (Asst) *Family and Life - Rev. Fr. Darwin Calderon *Healthcare - Rev. Fr. Glenn Gaabucayan *Liturgical Affairs - Rev. Fr. Roberto Carlo Okol *Diocesan Marian Council - Rev. Fr. Renier Llorca *Religious Congregations and Institutes - Rev. Fr. Adriano Amores *Migrants and Itinerant People - Rev. Fr. Jorge Jesus Bellosillo *Mission Apostolate - Rev. Fr. Rodolfo Paragas Jr. *Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting - Rev. Fr. Loreto Sanchez Jr. *Pastoral Formation - Rev. Fr. Edgardo Barrameda *Pondo ng Pinoy (Pasig) - Rev. Fr. Edmond Reynaldo *Prison - Rev. Fr. John Albert V. Absalon *Renewal/Charismatic Movements - Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Hipolito *Social Communications - Rev. Fr. Joselito I. Jopson , Rev. Fr. Flordelito Dador Jr. (Asst.) *Social Services Development Ministry - Edmond Reynaldo *Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan - Rev. Fr. Loreto Sanchez Jr. *Vocation - Rev. Fr. Joseph Santos *Youth Affairs - Rev. Fr. Joeffrey Brian Catuiran , Rev. Fr. Cedric Mallares (Asst.) PARISHES ''Vicariate of Immaculate Conception'' IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL- Rev. Fr. Mariano L. Baranda (Rector/ Parish Priest) , Rev. Fr. Rizalino C. Jose , Rev. Fr. Rodifel De Leon (Parochial Vicar) , Rev. Daniel L. Estacio (Resident Priest)

Statistics

The Diocese of Pasig had 1,306,505 baptized Catholics, representing 82.7 percent of all 1,580,225 people in the territory (as of March 2008). In 2006, the diocese recorded 36,475 baptisms and had 725 catechumens.

References

Bishop Vergara is Pasig's 2nd Bishop
*

*Updated Diocese of Pasig Directory from the Office of the Chancellor

External links

A Video Presentation of the Diocese of Pasig (SCS)Unofficial Blogsite of the Diocese of Pasig (by Fr. Joselito I. Jopson)

UCANEWS Pasig Diocesan ProfileSchedule of the Canonical Shrinehood of the Church of Pateros (provided by the website of the Municipality of Pateros)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasig Religion in Metro Manila Pasig Christian organizations established in 2003 Roman Catholic dioceses in the Philippines Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Manila Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 21st century