The Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

missionary jurisdiction or apostolic vicariate 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 ...

located in the Province of Palawan,

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 ...

. Its cathedra is within Immaculate Conception Cathedral in the episcopal see of

Puerto Princesa City Puerto Princesa, officially the City of Puerto Princesa ( Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; fil, Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 censu ...

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...

, Philippines. It is not a part of an ecclesiastical province as it is directly exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, specifically the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

, yet for the purpose of apostolic cooperation usually grouped with 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 ...

, along with the

Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay The Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay is a Latin Catholic pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction in the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It is not a part of any ecclesiastical province as it is directly subject to the Holy See (under the jurisd ...

. The current Vicar Apostolic is Bishop Socrates Calamba Mesiona MSP, DD.

History

The establishment as ''prefectura apostolica'' was announced and celebrated on April 10, 1910, a great day among the

Recollect The Recollects (french: Récollets) were a French reform branch of the Friars Minor, a Franciscan order. Denoted by their gray habits and pointed hoods, the Recollects took vows of poverty and devoted their lives to prayer, penance, and spiri ...

priests. In the bull of the founding of Pope Pius X entitled "Novas Erigere Diocese" (Newly established Dioceses) the ''Prefectura Apostolica de Palawan'' was mentioned along with the elevated levels of the Diocese of Lipa, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga and Calbayog. The ''prefectura apostolica'' is administered by the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of Faith to the Recollect priests as stated in Protocol No. 837/910 on May 13, 1910, sent by Father Girolamo Maria Cotti, the prefect, and Luigi Veccia, the secretary. On July 3, 1955, Rome declared the elevation of the ''prefectura apostolica'' to the Apostolic Vicariate of Palawan (AVP) by a bull entitled "''Ad Christi Regnum''" (The Reign of Christ) signed by Pope Pius XII. Bishop Gregorio Espiga and Infante, D.D., was the first Apostolic Vicar of Palawan. He became bishop on September 10, 1955, in the church of San Sebastian, Manila, as Titular Bishop of Afneo. He formally took office on September 18, 1955. On March 27, 2002, it was renamed as the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa and lost part of its territory when the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay was established.

Coat of arms

The two

lilies ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

represent Saint Joseph, the patron saint whom the founding

Augustinian Recollect The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is a mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. It is a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follows the same Rule of St. Augustine. History The Order was founded in 1 ...

fathers dedicated the local church of Palawan. The crescent represents the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

, the patroness of the cathedral. The fort actually represents the fort of Cuyo, where the first missionary arrived on August 1622, as well as the other ports in the province of Palawan built by the

fathers to protect their mission and their faithful from depredations of the

Moros In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ or Morus /ˈmɔːrəs/ (Ancient Greek: Μόρος means 'doom, fate') is the 'hateful' personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. It was also said that Moros gave peop ...

from the south.

List of ordinaries

''The early ordinaries were missionary members of the order of

Augustinian Recollects The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is a mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. It is a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follows the same Rule of St. Augustine. History The Order was founded in 16t ...

( O.A.R.)'' ; Apostolic prefects of Palawan * Friar Victoriano Romàn Zárate di S. Giuseppe, O.A.R. (April 21, 1911 – 1938) * Friar Leandro Nieto y Bolandier, O.A.R. (November 25, 1938 – 1953) *

Gregorio Espiga y Infante Gregorio is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Gregorio Conrado Álvarez (1925–2016), Uruguayan army general and de facto President of Uruguay from 1981 until 1985 * Gregorio Álvarez (historian) (1889–1986), ...

, O.A.R. (1953 – July 3, 1955; ''see below'') ; Apostolic vicars of Palawan *

, O.A.R. (July 3, 1955 – 1987; ''see above'') * Francisco Capiral San Diego (1987–1995) – previously Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Palawan (June 6, 1983 – December 18, 1987). * Pedro D. Arigo (February 23, 1996 – March 27, 2002; ''see below'') ; Apostolic vicars of Puerto Princesa

References

External links

*
GCatholic, with incumbent ordinaties list and linking biographies

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puerto Princesa, Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate Of 1955 establishments in the Philippines 1955 in Christianity Christian organizations established in 1955 Puerto Princesa Religion in Palawan Roman Catholic dioceses in the Philippines Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century

History

Coat of arms

List of ordinaries

See also

References

External links