Gumaca diocese marks 40th year

February 4, 2025 - 5:21 PM
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Bishop Euginius Cañete celebrates Mass to mark the 40th anniversary of the Diocese of Gumaca on Jan. 29, 2025. (Diocese of Gumaca via CBCP News)

The Diocese of Gumaca celebrated its 40th anniversary as an independent ecclesiastical territory with a festival and Mass on Saturday.

The event was made more significant as the universal Church observes the Jubilee of Hope.

The celebration began with an opening liturgy at the Cathedral of San Diego de Alcala.

More than 2,800 participants from various parishes and Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) then joined a motorcade to the Southern Quezon Convention Center, where a Mass and program followed.

Bishop Euginius Cañete, the newly installed fourth bishop of Gumaca, presided over the Mass and in his homily, he expressed gratitude for the blessings the diocese has received over the past four decades.

Religious sisters and lay leaders also renewed their vows and took oaths as part of the anniversary celebration, which carried the theme, “Parini sa HAPAG! Pagsaluhan ang Ani! HAlina’t magpasalamat, PArini’t makisangkot, Gumaca, pumalaot!”

The event featured a retrospective of the diocese’s 40-year history, including documentaries, talk shows, and performances. Several individuals and groups who contributed to the diocese’s growth were also recognized.

The Diocese of Gumaca was established on January 29, 1985, when it became independent from the Diocese of Lucena.

Its first bishop was the now-retired Bishop Emilio Marquez of Lucena, who also marked the 40th anniversary of his episcopal ordination with a Mass at St. Ferdinand Cathedral in Lucena City on Jan. 29.

Before Cañete’s appointment as bishop, the diocese was “sede vacante” for more than a year following the death of Bishop Victor Ocampo in March 2023. During the vacancy, Fr. Ramon Uriarte served as the diocesan administrator.