Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon (Latin: Dioecesis Sorsogonensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was established in 1951 by the Archdiocese of Caceres, and in 1968, the diocese was subdivided after the Diocese of Masbate separated. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Caceres.

Diocese of Sorsogon Dioecesis Sorsogonensis Diyosesis kan Sorsogon Diyosesis ng Sorsogon
Catholic
Sorsogon Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country	Philippines
Territory	Sorsogon
Ecclesiastical province	Caceres
Metropolitan	Caceres
Coordinates	12°58′07″N 124°00′18″E
Statistics
Area	2,141.45 km2 (826.82 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2021) 828,655 770,649 (93.0%)
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	June 29, 1951
Cathedral	Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul
Patron saints	Peter and Paul
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Jose Alan Verdejo Dialogo
Metropolitan Archbishop	Rex Andrew Clement Alarcon
Vicar General	Roger Joseph B. Erestain Jr.
Map
Territorial jurisdiction of the Diocese of Sorsogon

Coat of arms

The volcano of Bulusan is surmounted by the keys and the sword that represent Saints Peter and Paul respectively who are titulars of the cathedral. The book with the lily surrounded by fishes represent Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church and patron saint of the capital of Masbate which is within the territory of the diocese (until 1968). The fishes allude to one of the miracles attributed to the saint while still alive: when men did not listen to his preaching, he went to preach to the fishes which lifted up their heads above the water in rapt attention.

Bishops

Ordinaries

No	Name	In office	Coat of arms
1.	Teopisto V. Alberto †	July 10, 1952 - September 7, 1959
2.	Arnulfo S. Arcilla †	September 7, 1959 Appointed - December 11, 1979
3.	Jesus Y. Varela †	November 27, 1980 - April 16, 2003
4.	Arturo M. Bastes SVD †	April 16, 2003 – 20 October 2024
5.	Jose Alan V. Dialogo	15 October 2019 – present

Coadjutor bishop

• Arturo Mandin Bastes, S.V.D. † (2002-2003)

Auxiliary bishop

• Concordio Maria Sarte † (1977-1980), appointed Bishop of Legazpi

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Manuel Platon Del Rosario † , appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Calbayog in 1955
• José Tomás Sánchez † , appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Caceres in 1968

Sources

• Catholic Church in the Philippines
• The Official Website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon, Date Accessed: 11 June 2014
• The Official Facebook Page of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon, Date Accessed: 11 June 2014