Roman Catholic Diocese of Kabankalan


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kabankalan is a diocese of the Catholic Church in central Philippines. The Roman Rite Latin Church diocese is centered in the City of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental province and covers the southern part of the province. The diocese was created in 1987, when the Diocese of Bacolod was split into three dioceses. The other new diocese created is the Diocese of San Carlos, which covers the northeastern part of Negros Island and includes former parishes of the Diocese of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental province. The Diocese of Kabankalan is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro like the other two dioceses of Negros Occidental.
The titular patron of the diocese is Saint Francis Xavier whose feast is celebrated every December 3. The seat of the bishop is the Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in Kabankalan. The diocesan cathedral is one of the 12 churches founded by the Order of Augustinian Recollects that are now Catholic cathedrals in the Philippines.

Jurisdiction

The Diocese of Kabankalan comprises the entire southern portion of Negros Occidental, extending from the town of La Castellana, just below La Carlota City, all the way to Hinoba-an on the southernmost coast. It covers 11 cities and municipalities of the province occupying a total land area of and, as of 2011, a population of 769,393 of which 80 per cent are Catholics. The cities and municipalities under the Diocese of Kabankalan are Kabankalan, Binalbagan, Himamaylan, Isabela, Moises Padilla, La Castellana, Ilog, Candoni, Cauayan, Sipalay, and Hinoba-an except Hinigaran.

Ordinaries