ABOUT US
The Diocese of Butuan
"Let the Church be always a place of mercy and hope,
where everyone is welcomed, loved, and forgiven."
- Pope Francis
When the Diocese of Cagayan was created in 1933, Butuan was part of it, along with Surigao, Tandag, and Malaybalay, comprising the entire northern half of Mindanao. Six years later, the Diocese of Surigao was erected and Butuan was placed under its ecclesiastical jurisdiction headed by Bp. Juan Vrakking, MSC. The Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s brought about the aggiornamento, breathing fresher air into the Church. In 1967, following the lead of the Vatican II, the Diocese of Butuan was established by virtue of the Apostolic Constitution Eodem Officio, written by Pope Paul VI. Fr. Carmelo DF Morelos, a procurator of the Collegio Filippino in Rome, was appointed its first bishop in 1967.
When Bp. Morelos was nominated to the Archdiocese of Zamboanga in 1994, Butuan was placed under the pastoral care of Bp. Juan de Dios M. Pueblos. He led the diocese as its shepherd until his death in 2017. Incidentally, a few months later, his Auxiliary Bishop Zacarias C. Jimenez succumbed to a lingering illness. While waiting for Vatican’s nomination, the Diocese of Butuan is entrusted to the care of Abp. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ as its Apostolic Administrator.
Diocesan Shared Vision Statement
Kami nga katawhan sa Dios sa Diyosesis sa Butuan nagkahiusang nangandoy nga mahimong masalmotong Simbahan nga balaan ug masaksihon pinaagi sa Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingaban nga maamomahong nag-umol sa pamilya ug kasilinganan uban sa pagtambayayong sa panginahanglan sa katawhan.
Malig-ong nakagamot sa Pulong sa Dios aron matuki-on ug makinaadmanong makabasa sa dagan sa panahon,
malahutayon ug ligdong nga nangalagad diha sa kamatuoran
uban ang pagpakabana sa lumadnong kultura ug pag-amping sa tibuok kabuhatan, matinud-anon ug makiangayong nakiglambigit sa pagpahigayon sa mga kalihukan ug pagpatuman sa mga lagda sa Simbahan hinugpong sa Eukaristiya Uban sa panabang ni Sr. San Jose ug sa Mahal nga Birhen Maria.