Caceres marks 75 years as an Archdiocese on feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

By Natalie Hazel Quimlat

The Archdiocese of Caceres celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of its elevation to a Metropolitan See on June 29 with a Diamond Jubilee Assembly and a Jubilee Mass.

Held at the Archbishop Legaspi Hall of the Basilica Minore de Peñafrancia, the Assembly was an avenue to discuss the constitution and by-laws of the Youth Commission, Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Finance Council, and the Commission for the Construction and Consecration of Ecclesiastical Structures, in accordance with the pastoral direction the Archdiocese wishes to undertake. These documents were later presented to Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon at the Jubilee Mass at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral.

In his homily, Alarcon highlighted the importance of these documents that bear witness to one’s decision to follow the Lord “with intention and purpose”.

“By animating the structures for consultation, participation and cooperation, we also work for greater accountability and transparency. This is a concrete way of implementing Synodality,” he said.

Alarcon also spoke of protecting the collective memory of the Archdiocese, stressing the roles of culture and tradition in one's faith. He also emphasized the significance of walking together towards a synodal Church.

On June 29, 1951, Pope Pius XII issued the Papal Bull that elevated Caceres into an Archdiocese and created the Dioceses of Legazpi and Sorsogon. Entitled “Quo in Philippina Republica”, Pius XII reorganized the local Church in the Bicol region. Caceres would be known as the Metropolitan See, covering the provinces of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, while Legazpi and Sorsogon became its first suffragan Dioceses. Legazpi covered the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes, until the Diocese of Virac was created in 1974; Sorsogon covered the provinces of Sorsogon and Masbate, until Masbate became a Diocese in 1968. With the addition of the Dioceses of Daet in 1974 and Libmanan in 2009, Caceres today has six suffragan Dioceses.

Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon celebrated the Jubilee Mass at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral last Monday, June 29, feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the elevation of Caceres to a Metropolitan Archdiocese. During the mass, 4 documents were presented to the Archbishop. These were the constitution and by-laws of the Youth Commission, Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Finance Council, and the Committee on Construction. The documents were discussed during the Diamond Jubilee Assembly that took place before the mass at the Archbishop Legaspi Hall of the Basilica Minore de Peñafrancia. (Photo credit: Naga Metropolitan Cathedral/Terence Teodoro and Nicole Assumption Marie Tria)