Dave Dean Capucao (born September 25, 1965) is a Filipino Catholic

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

who was appointed as the fifth Prelate of Infanta in the province of

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...

in the Philippines.

Early life and education

Dave Dean Capucao was born on September 25, 1965, in

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions ** Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong River ** Naga, another name for Bakunawa, an ...

Camarines Sur Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...

in the Philippines. After joining the

Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary The CICM Missionaries, officially known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary () and often abbreviated as C.I.C.M, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in 1862 by the Belgian Cathol ...

(CICM), he studied philosophy at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, followed by theology at

Maryhill School of Theology Maryhill School of Theology (MST) is an institute for theological studies which holistically engages its students to do theology based upon a careful reflection on the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Tradition and then holding it alongside the present ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

. Capucao was sent to the Netherlands in 2000 and studied at the Catholic University of Nijmegen (later

Radboud University Nijmegen Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, , formerly ) is a public university, public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. RU has seven faculties and more than 24,000 students. Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistentl ...

), where he earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in intercultural and interreligious theology in 2002. He later worked as a junior researcher from 2002 to 2006, and defended his doctoral dissertation on religion and

ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropology—as well as in colloquial English discourse—means to apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead o ...

in 2009 at the said university. He earned a doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) doctorate in sacred theology (SThD) at

Catholic University of Louvain 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 Belgium and a PhD at Radboud University Nijmegen.

Ministry

Priesthood

Capucao was ordained a priest for the Territorial Prelature of Infanta on October 3, 1994. Following his ordination, he served as

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Nuestra Señora de Salvacion in

Casiguran, Aurora Casiguran , officially the Municipality of Casiguran ( Tagalog/ Kasiguranin: ''Bayan ng Casiguran''; ), is a municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,564 people. The municipal ...

, a post he maintained until 2000. Upon the invitation of Cardinal

Adrianus Johannes Simonis Adrianus Johannes Simonis (26 November 1931 – 2 September 2020) was a Dutch cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1983 to 2007, and was made a cardinal in 1985. Biography Simonis was born in Lisse, South ...

, Capucao remained in the Netherlands in 2006 and was assigned to serve at St. Ludger Parish in

Lichtenvoorde Lichtenvoorde is a town in the east of the Netherlands, in the municipality of Oost Gelre. Lichtenvoorde holds a flower parade (''bloemencorso'') every September at the start of its annual festival. The parade features floats covered in flowers ...

. In 2011, he returned to the Philippines. At the Saint Joseph Formation House in Quezon City (a seminary owned by the Territorial Prelature of Infanta), he was the academic and pastoral director, as well as the formator of the seminary from 2012 to 2014, before becoming its rector in 2015. Since 2012, Capucao taught in various seminaries and theology schools in Metro Manila and nearby areas He returned to the Netherlands in 2020 and served as visiting priest at St. John the Baptist in

Vinkeveen Vinkeveen is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Ronde Venen, and lies about 18 km south of Amsterdam. Vinkeveen used to be a separate municipality. It merged with Waverveen in 1841, to form t ...

for a year (2020-2021) while taking his sabbatical leave after celebrating his 25th priesthood anniversary. When he returned back to the Philippines in 2021, he was named superintendent of the Catholic Schools of the Prelature of Infanta.

Episcopate

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

appointed Capucao as the fifth Territorial Prelate of Infanta on May 16, 2025, succeeding the retiring Bernardino Cortez. It was Leo's first appointment for the Philippine episcopate since being elected.

References

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capucao, Dave 1965 births Living people Filipino Roman Catholic bishops 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines People from Naga, Camarines Sur Saint Louis University (Philippines) alumni Radboud University Nijmegen alumni Université catholique de Louvain alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Leo XIV