PROFILE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CACERES

         One of the oldest dioceses in the Philippines.  Established in 1595 by Pope Clement VIII with Cebu and Nueva Segovia when Manila was elevated to an Archbishopric.  It originally included the entire Bicol Region, the Provinces of Quezon, Batangas, up until Palanan, Isabela in the North.

         Elevated to an Archdiocese in 1951, Caceres is the Metropolitan See with the Dioceses of Daet, Legaspi, Virac, Sorsogon, Masbate and the Prelature of Libmanan as suffragans. It is the seat of the devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

Archbishop : Most Rev. Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., D.D. The 33rd bishop and 3rd Archbishop since 1984 (Illuminare Omnes)
Auxiliary Bishop : Most Rev. Jose Rojas Jr appointed in 2005 (Ipsi gloria In Saecula)

Seat: Naga City , Philippines
Titular Patron: St. Peter Baptist (Feastday: Sunday before Feb. 6)
Population : Approximately 1,253,238 of which 94% are Catholics, i.e., 1,183,033.
Number of Parishes : 73
Number of Priests : 200 Diocesan and 21 Religious
Average Age of Priests : 36
Religiou s: 352 religious sisters, members of women pious associations and secular institutes

CURRENT PASTORAL THRUSTS

Consistent with its Vision–Mission formulated after the promulgation of the decrees of the First Archdiocesan Pastoral Council of Caceres in 1991 and reformulated during the 2001 Second Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, and in line with its unique charism, the Archdiocese currently pursues its main pastoral thrusts (supra) through the following selected essential components:

A. SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ( Christian Formation and Evangelization)

• Family Ministry – A major pastoral strategy of the Archdiocese in response to the 2nd Archdiocesan Pastoral Council of Caceres and PCP II’s call to make the “family as the focus and the parish as the locus of integral evangelization.” It aims at building up the family as a true domestic church by affirming the sacramental and social nature of family, helping family members develop their potentials for holistic health and healing, leading the family towards social participation and to apostolate as communities of families in the church, particularly in the parish.
• Catechesis - Provided mainly by the Caceres Catechetical Ministry (CCM) and Caceres Association of Religion Educators (CARE) with 116 members who cooperate with the Ministry in matters of educational research pertinent to catechetics. The CCM through its Catechetical Center established in 1987 supervises the training and formation of catechists numbering about 1,331 working in public schools and parishes in the Bicol Region. Since 1987 the Center has already published 25 supplementary catechetical materials.
• Creation of Parishes – A pastoral strategy to make church services closer and to provide more focused pastoral care of the Catholic faithful. 35 parishes have been established since the separation of Prelature of Libmanan in 1990.

B. SOCIO PASTORAL CARE ( Social Apostolate)

• MIADP (Mt. Isarog Integrated Area Development Program). An environmental project launched in June 2005 which seeks to contribute in the efforts of conserving and preserving the natural resources of Mt. Isarog alongside help in improving the quality of life of the people living and depending on the area.
• SPARC (Stewardship Program of the Archdiocese of Caceres) - A program under Temporalities also known as “Balos sa Balaog nin Dios” which includes education and organization of the parishes through the sharing of time, talent and treasure. It envisions the 73 parishes of the Archdiocese to be participative, self-reliant, transparent and accountable.

C. EMPOWERMENT AND GOVERNANCE (Leadership Skills and Training)

• CMAP (Caceres Mission Aid Program) - Established in 1997, CMAP is the Archdiocese’s own way of fulfilling the spirit of Missionary Union. CMAP aims to sends volunteer priest to mission areas outside the Philippines. There are currently eight (8) priests working as missionaries in the Diocese Gizo, Solomon Islands, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Diocese of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Diocese of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
• CLAIM (Caceres Lay Institute for Mission) – Part of the formation in Mission of the Local Church in Caceres is the CLAIM that taps lay persons as missionaries to parishes and communities of the local Church. Currently there are 14 lay missionaries undergoing such formation.
• SMC (School Mission Clubs) - To encourage mission participation and cooperation among Catholic students and to give priority to education in mission, school mission clubs have been established in Catholic schools.
• DICRE (Digitization of Canonical Records) – This is a project of the Chancery Office which aims to preserve canonical records kept in the Chancery through digitalization and to improve access of the same through automation. In this project digital images of the record books are taken and in the process creating back-ups to the physical books. The use of the digital images instead of the physical records for day to day use and research will reduce wear and tear. At present the project is still going on and upon completion this will be replicated in parishes.
• UBC (Union of Bicol Clergy) - Among the avenues for fellowship of priests in Bicol Region is the UBC. It is a yearly gathering of Bicol priests which falls within the week of the Peñafrancia Festivities.
• CCSS (Caceres Clergy Security System) – Conceptualized in 2001, it provides security protection for Caceres clergy. It also provides for replacement income and assistance in times of sickness, old age and death. The system provides the following benefits: hospitalization and medicare program, security program or pension, retirement at the home for retired priests (Altersheim) and funeral at the cemetery for the clergy at the Major Seminary.

OTHER STATISTICAL INFORMATION AND POINTS OF INTEREST

• Three Seminaries in three different campuses – the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary founded in 1797 and which houses now the Philosophy Department; the Holy Rosary Major Seminary, built in 1965, houses the Theology department; and the Preparatory Seminary built in 1988. All with full time formators, 9 at the Major, 9 at the Minor Seminary and 3 at the Preparatory Seminary, most of whom have finished post graduate studies. As of last semester there were 39 Caceres Seminarians in Theology; 106 in Philosophy and 39 in Preparatory Seminary.
• Number of Ordinations. The Archdiocese has an average of 7 ordinations a year since 1985. This has allowed the archdiocese to assist other dioceses and provide priests especially to remote parishes.
• Ratio of Priests and Population. The Archdiocese has 221 diocesan and religious priests and a Catholic population of 1,183,033. Thus, the ratio is 1: 5353. One priest per 5,353 Catholics.
• Devotion to Our Ina, Virgin of Peñafrancia. The feast of the patroness of the region is celebrated on a Sunday after the octave of the feast of Our Lady’s Nativity. The 10-day festivities start with the traslacion procession where the image of Ina is transferred from the Basilica built in her honor to the Cathedral Church. The image is venerated at the Cathedral Church for nine (9) days before it is brought back to the Basilica by way of fluvial procession. This September devotion in honor of Ina is participated in by millions of her devotees from the Bicol Region, from other places of the Philippines and from abroad.