Roman Catholic Diocese of Cabanatuan
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cabanatuan is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. The diocese comprises 16 towns of the province including the cities of Cabanatuan, Palayan, and Gapan. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.
The diocese was created on June 3, 1963 from the territory of Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. It was put under the patronage of St. Nicholas of Tolentine and the Virgin Mary under the title Divine Shepherdess which is popularly venerated in Gapan City every May 1. The seat of the diocese is the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Cathedral in Cabanatuan City with a feast day of September 10.
The diocese lost territory in 1984 when the Diocese of San Jose was formed.
The current bishop of the diocese is Most Rev. Sofronio Aguirre Bancud, SSS, DD. He was appointed as auxiliary bishop on 2004 and installed as bishop on January 25, 2005.Ordinaries
- Mariano Garces Gaviola, DD: 8 Mar 1963 - 31 May 1967
- Vicente Posada Reyes, JCD, DD: 8 Aug 1967 - 30 Apr 1983
- Ciceron Santa Maria Tumbocon, DD: 7 Apr 1983 - 11 Nov 1990
- Sofio Guinto Balce, Jr., DD: 11 Nov 1990 - 25 Jun 2004
- Sofronio Aguirre Bancud, SSS, DD: 6 Nov 2004–Present
