Catarman Diocese (N. Samar) to mark its Ruby Jubilee year

CEBU, Philippines - The Diocese of Catarman in Northern Samar is celebrating its 40th year, or Ruby Anniversary next month, with the theme that spells out its years of helping the poor, especially during calamities.

The diocesan anniversary, with the theme “40 Years of Journeying with the Poor Through Basic Ecclesial Community,” will be highlighted with the conferment of awards to church personnel, poor workers and the volunteer laity who have rendered quality services to the Church.

Considered as the “diocese of poor people”, the Diocese of Catarman said it has been extending assistance to locals in the form of food and construction materials for shelters that were destroyed by typhoons.

Father Eduardo Dorico, a co-pastor of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Annunciation in Catarman and head of the Diocesan Ruby anniversary committee on accommodation, said the Ruby Jubilee is given importance although the diocese celebrates its birth every five years.

Dorico said the diocese is holding a series of congresses for catechists, lay ministries and basic ecclesial communities that have been conducting their initial conferences and orientation at the vicariate levels, for Allen, Catarman, Laoang, and Gamay towns.

Father Rico Manook, acting diocesan chancellor, also said the image of the Our Lady of the Annunciation, the diocesan patroness, is now on pilgrimage throughout the 20 parishes and 11 mission centers in the diocese to spiritually prepare the people for the coming liturgical event.

On March 11, the diocesan clergy, religious sisters, laity and parishioners will welcome guests who will join this milestone in the diocese’s history. Expected to attend are about a hundred bishops and guest priests from the Archdiocese of Palo and its suffragan dioceses of Naval, Calbayog, Borongan and Maasin.

Dorico added that Lingayen Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, is also expected to preside over the concelebrated pontifical Mass at the Cathedral in Catarman.

Catarman became a diocese on December 5, 1974, as decreed by Pope Paul VI, with Bishop Angel Hobayan installed as its first residential bishop on March 11, 1975.  — Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros (FREEMAN)