# Roman Catholic Diocese of Cabanatuan

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cabanatuan (Latin: Dioecesis Cabanatuanensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese comprises 16 towns of Nueva Ecija including the cities of Cabanatuan, Palayan, and Gapan. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.

## History

On February 16, 1963 Pope John XXIII, issued the apostolic letter "Exterior Ecclesiae" creating the Diocese of Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija separating from the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, and then the Diocese of San Fernando. On June 3, 1963 the Diocese of Cabanatuan was canonically erected after that on June 4, 1963 Bishop Mariano Gaviola was ordained and installed as the first Bishop of Cabanatuan. The Diocese of Cabanatuan was put under the patronage of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino and the Virgin Mary under the title Divine Shepherdess (Divina Pastora) which is popularly venerated in Gapan every May 1. The seat of the diocese is the St. Nicholas of Tolentino Cathedral in Cabanatuan with a feast day of September 10.
The diocese lost territory in 1984 when the Diocese of San Jose in the Northern Part of Nueva Ecija was formed.
The current bishop Emeritus of the diocese and Apostolic administrator is Sofronio Aguirre Bancud, S.S.S., D.D. He was appointed as auxiliary bishop on 2004 and installed as bishop on January 25, 2005. He officially retired on December 8, 2024 after he reached his mandatory retirement age of 76.
On December 8, 2024, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Prudencio Padilla Andaya, Jr., CICM, D.D., until now the second Apostolic Vicar of Tabuk since April 16, 2003, to be the 6th bishop of this diocese. Bishop Andaya was installed on February 3, 2025 at the Cabanatuan Cathedral.

## Ordinaries

| No | Name | In office |
| 1. | Mariano Garces Gaviola | (8 March 1963 – 31 May 1967) |
| 2. | Vicente Posada Reyes | (8 August 1967 – 7 April 1983) |
| 3. | Ciceron Sta. Maria Tumbocon | (7 April 1983 – 11 November 1990) |
| 4. | Sofio Guinto Balce | (11 November 1990 – 25 June 2004) |
| 5. | Sofronio Aguirre Bancud, SSS | (6 November 2004 – 8 December 2024) |
| 6. | Prudencio Padilla Andaya, Jr., CICM | (3 February 2025 - present) |

## Gallery

* Gallery of the Diocese of Cabanatuan
* Sofronio Aguirre Bancud, Bishop-Emeritus of Cabanatuan
* The altar of the Cathedral-Parish of St. Nicholas of Tolentino
* St. Nicholas of Tolentino New Cathedral (on-going construction) and Crypt
* Maria Assumpta Seminary
* College of the Immaculate Conception (Cabanatuan)
* Shrines in the Diocese of Cabanatuan
* National Shrine of La Virgen Divina Pastora and Three Kings Parish in Gapan, Home of the Biggest Pilgrimage in Central Luzon
* Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Isidore the Worker in Talavera
* Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora delas Saleras in Aliaga
* Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. John the Baptist in Bibiclat, Aliaga, Home of Taong Putik Festival
* Diocesan Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and St. Augustine Parish in Jaen
* Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Anthony of Abbot in San Antonio
* St. Isidore the Farmer Parish and Shrine of Nuestra Señora dela Soledad in San Isidro
* Shrine and chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes, Apong Lourdes Shrine in Maligaya, Cabiao (under the administration of St. John Nepomucene Parish, Cabiao)