The Diocese of Baguio (Latin: Dioecesis Baghiopolitana) is a Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines comprising the city of Baguio and the province of Benguet on Luzon island in the Philippines. Its see is the Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral.
It was erected to a diocese in 2004 as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. It is currently headed by the Most Rev. Rafael T. Cruz, the third bishop of Baguio, succeeding Victor Barnuevo Bendico, who was appointed archbishop of Capiz.
History
The diocese is one of the oldest ecclesiastical territories in the Philippines. It was established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Mountain Provinces (Latin: Praefectura Apostolica Montana) on July 15, 1932.[1] The territory that the Diocese of Baguio now spans was split from the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia.
On June 10, 1948, the apostolic prefecture was elevated to the Apostolic Vicariate of Mountain Provinces (Montañosa), entitling it to a titular bishop.[2] The apostolic vicariate received a papal visit from John Paul II in February 1981.
On July 26, 1992, the apostolic vicariate was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Baguio, after ceding territories to form the Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe and the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk.
On June 24, 2004, the apostolic vicariate was elevated into the Diocese of Baguio, losing its missionary pre-diocesan status and becoming a suffragan of Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia.
On June 20, 2024, Rafael Tambao-An Cruz was announced as the next bishop, replacing then Bishop Victor Barnuevo Bendico, who was elevated as Archbishop of Capiz in May 2023. He was ordained on September 7 at Dagupan Cathedral by Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan as principal consecrator, with Archbishop Victor Barnuevo Bendico of Capiz and Bishop Jesse Mercado of Parañaque as co-consecrators.[3] His installation took place on September 17, 2024, led by Archbishop Charles John Brown and Jose Cardinal Advincula of Manila at the Baguio Cathedral.[4][5]
Ordinaries
These ordinaries are all Latin Rite clergy, who are mostly members of missionary congregations.
| No. | Bishop | Period in office | Notes | Coat of arms | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prefects apostolic of the Mountain Provinces (November 15, 1935 – June 10, 1948) | |||||||
| 1 | Giuseppe Billiet, C.I.C.M. | November 15, 1935 – 1947 (12 years) | Died in office | ||||
| Vicars apostolic of the Mountain Provinces (June 10, 1948 – December 18, 1987) | |||||||
| 1 | William Brasseur, C.I.C.M. | June 10, 1948 – November 7, 1981 (33 years, 150 days) | Retired | ||||
| 2' | Emiliano Kulhi Madangeng | November 7, 1981 – December 18, 1987 (6 years, 41 days) | Retired | ||||
| Vicars apostolic of Baguio (December 18, 1987 – June 24, 2004) | |||||||
| 3 | Ernesto Antolin Salgado | December 18, 1987 – December 7, 2000 (12 years, 355 days) | Appointed bishop of Laoag | ||||
| 4 | Carlito Joaquin Cenzon | January 25, 2002 – June 24, 2004 (2 years, 151 days) | Elevated as diocesan bishop | ||||
| Bishops of Baguio (June 24, 2004 – present) | |||||||
| 1 | Carlito Joaquin Cenzon | June 24, 2004 – October 1, 2016 (12 years, 99 days) | Retired | ||||
| 2 | Victor Barnuevo Bendico | January 10, 2017 – March 3, 2023 (6 years, 52 days) | Appointed archbishop of Capiz | ||||
| 3 | Rafael Tambaoan Cruz | September 17, 2024 – present (1 year, 353 days) | |||||
Coadjutor vicars apostolic
| No. | Portrait | Name | From | Until | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emiliano K. Madangeng 1927–1997 | July 4, 1979 | November 7, 1981 | 2 years, 4 months, 3 days | Appointed vicar apostolic of Mountain Provinces. | |
| 2 | Ernesto A. Salgado 1936– | October 17, 1986 | December 18, 1987 | 1 year, 2 months, 1 day | Appointed vicar apostolic of Baguio; later archbishop of Nueva Segovia. |
Auxiliary bishops
| No. | Portrait | Name | From | Until | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emiliano K. Madangeng 1927–1997 | April 24, 1971 | July 4, 1979 | 8 years, 2 months, 10 days | Appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic of Mountain Provinces. | |
| 2 | Sebastian A. Dalis 1925–2004 | November 18, 1987 | July 11, 2000 | 12 years, 7 months, 23 days | Retired. |
Sources and external links
- GCatholic with incumbent biography links
- Dioecesis Baghiopolitana Catholic-Hierarchy.org
16°24′46″N 120°35′53″E / 16.4128°N 120.5980°E / 16.4128; 120.5980
References
- 1.Pope Pius XI, Apostolic Decree creating the Apostolic Prefecture of the Mountain Provinces Quo facilius consuli (July 15, 1932), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 25 (1933), pp. 206-207. DISMEMBRATIONIS DIOECESIS ET ERECTIONIS PRAELATURAE APOSTOLICAE "MONTANAE".
- 2.Pope Pius XII, Apostolic Constitution elevating the Apostolic Prefecture of the Mountain Provinces into an Apostolic Vicariate Quo inter infideles (June 10, 1948), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 40 (1948), pp. 535-536. PRAEFECTURA APOSTOLICA MONTANA IN VICARIATUM APOSTOLICUM, IISDEM SERVATIS NOMINE AC LIMITIBUS, EVEHITUR.
- 3."Baguio's new bishop, Rafael Cruz, ordained". GMA News. September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- 4.Patinio, Ferdinand (July 3, 2024). "Episcopal ordination of new Baguio bishop set Sept. 7". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- 5."Pope Francis names Pangasinan priest as new Baguio bishop". Rappler. June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.