Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo


The Diocese of San Pablo is a Roman Catholic diocese which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. Its patron saint or titular head is Saint Paul the Hermit.

Location

The diocese covers the entire province of Laguna. It is bordered southwest by the Archdiocese of Lipa in Batangas, north by the Diocese of Antipolo in Rizal and the Laguna de Bay, west by the Diocese of Imus in Cavite, east by the Prelature of Infanta and southeast by the Diocese of Lucena in Quezon, and northwest by the Diocese of Parañaque in Metro Manila.

Ordinaries

in 1586 erected a parish known as the "Parish of San Pablo delos Montes". In 1910, Catholics in the current diocese became part of the Archdiocese of Lipa, and on November 28, 1966 the current dioceses was erected as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. Pedro Bantigue y Natividad was installed as its first bishop on April 18, 1967, and becoming its Bishop Emeritus in 1995 until his death in 2012. He was succeeded by the late Bishop Francisco San Diego in 1995 who was later transferred as First Bishop of Pasig. Following Bishop San Diego was Bishop Leo Drona, a Salesian, in 2004. At present, the diocese is led by Bishop Buenaventura Famadico, who was installed as Fourth Bishop of San Pablo on March 2, 2013.

Seminaries

To train priests, a high school seminary was opened in 1968, but was eventually closed in 1981. At present, there are two seminaries run by the diocese. Saint Peter's College Seminary, established in 1981, currently located in Brgy. Concepcion, San Pablo City and serves as the philosophy college seminary of the diocese, while the other seminary, the San Pablo Theological Formation House, located in Tagaytay City, Cavite, serves as the formation house for the theology seminarians of the diocese.