Roman Catholic Diocese of Legazpi

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use Philippine English Template:Template other The Diocese of Legazpi (Latin: Dioecesis Legazpiensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. It constitutes the entire province of Albay in the Philippines.

The diocese was erected in 1951, carved from territory of the Archdiocese of Cáceres, to which it is a suffragan. In 1974, the diocese was partitioned to form the Diocese of Virac.

Most Rev. Joel "Bong" Z. Baylon, D.D. is the current Bishop of Legazpi, after serving as Bishop of Masbate. Prior to his appointment, Auxiliary Bishop of Legazpi Lucilo Quiambao had been the apostolic administrator of the diocese since Bishop Nestor Cariño's retirement in 2007. Baylon is assisted by his vicars-general, Ramón Tronqued, PC VG and Crispin Bernarte, VG.

Coat of arms

The Mayon Volcano which towers over the city of Legazpi occupies the center of the shield. The papal cross surmounted by the nimbed dove symbolizes Saint Gregory the Great, the titular of the cathedral. The dove is an allusion to the testimony of Peter the Deacon who said that he oftentimes saw the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove hover above the saint while he dictated his works. The rose symbolizes Our Lady of Peñafrancia to whom all Bicolanos have a great devotion. The lily at the base represents the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the principal church of Virac, Catanduanes in Catanduanes which belongs to the diocese (until 1974).

Activism

Bishop Joel "Bong" Z. Baylon, D.D., in his open letter to the present Administration, censured the governments's environmental protection failure resulting in massive urban flooding in Albay. The Legaspi Diocese traced its causes to unregulated greed of private individuals, illegal quarry, substandard public infrastructure and ineffective flood protection projects.

Bishops

Ordinaries

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Coat of Arms
1	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	Flaviano Barrechea Ariola	May 15, 1952 appointed	November 27, 1968 resigned	File:Coat of arms of Flaviano Barrechea Ariola.svg
2	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	Teotimo Cruel Pacis, C.M.	May 23, 1969 appointed	June 4, 1980 resigned	File:Coat of arms of Teotimo Cruel Pacis.svg
3	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	Concordio Maria Sarte	August 12, 1980 appointed	November 22, 1991 died	File:Coat of arms of Concordio Maria Sarte as Bishop of Legazpi.svg
4	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	José Crisologo Sorra	March 1, 1993 appointed	April 1, 2005 retired	File:Coat of arms of José Crisologo Sorra as Bishop of Legazpi.svg
5	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	Nestor Celestial Cariño	April 1, 2005 appointed	November 7, 2007 resigned	File:Coat of arms of Nestor Celestial Cariño as Bishop of Legazpi.svg
Sede Vacante - Apostolic Administrator		Lucilo Barrameda Quiambao	November 7, 2007	October 1, 2009
6	File:Most Rev. Joel Z. Baylon, D.D..jpg	Joel Zamudio Baylon	October 1, 2009 appointed	present	File:Coat of arms of Joel Zamudio Baylon as Bishop of Legazpi.svg

Auxiliary Bishops

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Coat of Arms
1	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	Nestor Celestial Cariño	1978	1980 (appointed Bishop of Borongan)	File:Coat of arms of Nestor Celestial Cariño.svg
2	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Legazpi.svg	Lucilo Barrameda Quiambao	1982	2009	File:Coat of arms of Lucilo Barrameda Quiambao.svg

Other priests of this diocese who became bishop

• José Crisologo Sorra, appointed Bishop of Virac in 1974; later returned here as Bishop
• Joel Zamudio Baylon, appointed Bishop of Masbate in 1998; later returned here as Bishop

See also

• Catholic Church in the Philippines

External links

• Dioecesis Legazpiensis Catholic-Hierarchy.org