Cubao Cathedral (formal title: The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Cubao), is a

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cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

located in

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, the

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. It is the

episcopal seat A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral ...

of the

Bishop of Cubao. Built in 1950 by the Society of the Divine Word, it belonged to the order until 1990, when the

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took over its administration. In 2003, when the Diocese of Cubao was erected, the parish was elevated into the status of cathedral. The present rector of the cathedral is Rev. Fr. Dennis S. Soriano,

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, Lit.

History

In 1935, the SVD priests of Christ the King Mission Seminary began ministering to a limited farming community around Manga Road in Cubao by first celebrating

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

in a small chapel near the present Cubao roundabout. Fr. Henry Demond, SVD, then celebrated Mass in the house of a certain Carbonell family, then moved to a quonset mess hall from the

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that stood on what are now Spencer and Brooklyn streets. The building was abandoned by the combined US-Philippine Commonwealth Armed Forces. As with other agrarian communities, farmers tilling the area's rice paddies invoked

San Isidro Labrador Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, ...

, so the chapel was dedicated to him and belonged to Sacred Heart Parish in the Kamuníng area. While teaching as theology professor at Christ the King Mission Seminary (and later as Prefect of Scholastics), Fr. Ambrosio Manaligod and Ronnie Ganancias consistently helped with the pastoral work of the parish, especially in directing lay organisations. In 1949, the chapel was re-dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. On 15 July 1950, the community chapel was elevated into a parish, with the first ''curé'' being the Argentine Fr. Juan Simón (1950–1954); he was succeeded by the German Fr. Alois Vogel (1954-1956) and Fr. Benito Rixner (1956–1958). For years, the parish remained under the SVD, as it was near the order's main residence at Christ the King Mission Seminary. In 1989, the SVD offered the parish to the Archdiocese of Manila in keeping with the missionary spirit found in their constitutions. The official handover took place on

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, 1990, with Msgr. Reynaldo Celso as the first

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or diocesan parish priest. Due to an increase in the population of Catholics in

, the Archdiocese was gradually partitioned, with the Diocese of Cubao erected on 28 August 2003. The parish was selected to be the see for the new bishop, and extensive renovations on the church were carried out soon after. On December 30, 2014,

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, actor Dingdong Dantes and actress Marian Rivera were married at Cubao Cathedral, where Dantes was christened. Considered one of the most expensive church weddings held in the country, guests included then-

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Benigno S. Aquino III as the principal sponsor, other politicians, the couple's colleagues from the television and film industry, and various celebrities.

Ecclesiastical territory

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral once belonged to the

, but is now the seat of the Diocese of Cubao. However, it is currently remains a parish in its own right as a part of the Vicariate of the Holy Family.

Parochial bounds

The parish itself is bounded to the north by a creek running Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. and Ermín García Avenues; to the east by EDSA; to the south by Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue (Santolan Road); and to the southwest by a small portion of Ermitaño Creek, parts of Horseshoe Village, N. Domingo Street and

Balete Drive Balete Drive is an Single carriageway, undivided two-lane street and main List of roads in Metro Manila, thoroughfare of Mariana, Quezon City, New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines. The road is a major route of jeepneys and cabs, serving the New M ...

. Surrounding parishes are Sacred Heart to the north; Nativity of Our Lord and Our Lady of Perpetual Help to the east; and the Minor Basilica Our Lady of Mount Carmel to the west. To the south is San Juan, which is under the jurisdiction of the

Parish Priests

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Below is a list of parish priests, and upon the church's elevation to

in 2003,

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

s. Society of the Divine Word administration Diocesan administration

Resources

* Ecclesiastical Atlas Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao (2010) *The 2008–2009 Catholic Directory of the Philippines (published by Claretian Publications for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, June 2008)

External links