Diocese of Catarman

The Diocese of Catarman (Lat: Dioecesis Catarmaniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.^[2]

Country Philippines

TerritoryNorthern Samar

Ecclesiastical provincePalo

Area3,498 km² (1,351 sq mi)

Quick facts Diocese of CatarmanDioecesis Catarmaniensis Diyosesis han CatarmanDiyosesis ng Catarman, Catholic ...

Diocese of Catarman Dioecesis Catarmaniensis Diyosesis han Catarman Diyosesis ng Catarman
Catholic
Catarman Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country	Philippines
Territory	Northern Samar
Ecclesiastical province	Palo
Statistics
Area	3,498 km2 (1,351 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2021) 666,659 625,384[1] (93.8%)
Parishes	31
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	December 5, 1974
Cathedral	Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation
Secular priests	51
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Nolly C. Buco
Metropolitan Archbishop	John F. Du

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Erected in 1974, the diocese was a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu. Upon Palo's elevation in 1982, Catarman was reassigned to the new archdiocese as its suffragan. The Diocese of Catarman has experienced no jurisdictional changes since its establishment.^[2][3]

Nolly Buco, a former auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo, was initially appointed as apostolic administrator by Pope Francis when Bishop Emmanuel Trance retired as bishop of the diocese on December 8, 2023.^[2][3] Trance is from Calinog, Iloilo under the Archdiocese of Jaro.^[4] On October 16, 2024, Pope Francis subsequently appointed him as the third bishop of Catarman;^[5] he was installed on January 15, 2025.