Roman Catholic Diocese of Laoag
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Diocese of Laoag Dioecesis Laoagensis Diocesis ti Laoag |
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| Location | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Territory | Province of Ilocos Norte and the cities of Laoag and Batac |
| Ecclesiastical province | Nueva Segovia |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 3,386 km2 (1,307 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 658,454 441,022 (67.0%) |
| Parishes | 27 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 5 June 1961 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint William the Hermit |
| Titular | Saint William the Hermit |
| Secular priests | 49 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Renato Pine Mayugba |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Marlo Mendoza Peralta |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Laoag (Lat: Dioecesis Laoagen(sis)) is a Roman Rite diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
The diocese was erected in 1961 from the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. It was sede vacante from June 15, 2011 to October 11, 2012. On October 12, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Most Rev. Renato P. Mayugba, then Auxiliary Bishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, as the 6th Bishop of the diocese.
Long before the coming of the Spaniards, there already existed an extensive region (consisting of the present provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union) renowned for its gold mines. Merchants from Japan and China would often visit the area to barter beads, ceramics and silk with gold. The inhabitants of the region believed to be of Malay origin, called their place Samtoy from saomi ditoy, which literally meant “language spoken in this place”.
Like other parts of the Philippines, Ilocos Norte before the advent of Spanish colonization was inhabited by different tribes. Settlements were located along the river systems. Most people preferred to settle down near their farming or hunting grounds. Trade between seashore communities and nearby China must have been present considering the proximity of the place with mainland Cathay. Religion was mainly animistic with the belief in Supreme Being like “Kabunian” and other minor spirits which were collectively known as di-kataotao-an.
Colonization of IIocos Norte and Christianization. Christianity came to this part of the country in June 1572 during Northern Luzon “pacification” campaign led by the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo and his Augustinian chaplain Alonzo de Alvarado. It is said that the cross was first planted on top of what is now known as Ermita Hill in Laoag. However, it was not until 1575 when Vigan was finally “pacified” by the Castillians that effective evangelization campaign reached this part of the newly established Province of Ilocos. During this last quarter of the 16th century, mission centers were established in Laoag, Bacarra, San Nicolas, Batac and Dingras. Towards the end of Spanish rule in the Philippines, there were 13 towns.
The evangelization of this northern part of Ilocos province was done by the Augustinian friars. They did their apostolate here until the end of Spanish rule in 1898.
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Wikipedia