Diocese of Catarman
Most Rev. EMMANUEL C. TRANCE, DD
Bishop of Catarman
Bishop Emmanuel C. Trance, DD, PhD was born on Aug. 18, 1953 in Calinog, Iloilo, Philippines. He was ordained a priest on May 17, 1978. Pope John Paul II appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of Catarman on Aug. 12, 2004. He was ordained Bishop on July 22, 2004. On March 11, 2005 he was appointed 2nd Diocesan Bishop of Catarman. Bishop Trance speaks English, Tagalog, Ilonggo and Italian.
Prior to his ministry as a bishop, here are the other posts assigned to him:
1978-1979 - Assistant Parish Priest, St. John the Baptist Parish, Sara, Iloilo
1979-1983 - Assistant Parish Priest, San Miguel Parish, Manila
1983-1984 - Library Director in St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, Iloilo City
1984-1986 - Dean of Studies, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, Iloilo City
1987-1988 - Vice-Rector & Dean of Students, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, Iloilo City
1988-1991 - Rector of St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary
1997-2004 - Rector of St. Vincent Seminary
PASTORAL PROGRAMS
VISION STATEMENT
A community of renewed and dynamic disciples,
opting to be a Church of the Poor,
united in faith, hope and love,
under the Fatherhood of God,
professing the Sonship of Christ,
guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit,
nourished by the Word and the sacraments,
committed to uphold human dignity and equality,
to justice and peace, and to the care of creation,
for total human salvation as Norte-Samareños,
with the intercession of Mary,
Mother and model of discipleship,
in full communion with Christ's Vicar on earth, the Pope.
MISSION STATEMENT
Faced with the stark realities of poverty, sin, violence and devisiveness, we, the pastoral servant-leaders of the Diocese of Catarman, commit ourselves to promote a renewed and sustained integral evangelization by forming worshipping, witnessing and serving faith communities, especially in the barangays.
We further commit ourselves to the building of a participatory Chruch through the strengthening of shared responsibility among the laity, the religious, and the clergy.
We likewise commit ourselves to proclaim and give witness to the Gospel by our very own lives, as we join our people, especially the poor, in the journey towards integral transformation and the eventual realization of the Kingdom of God.
Worship
The life and ministry of priests must be worthy of emulation through their efficient administration of the parish and the faithful celebration of sacraments.
There should be a regular celebration of the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and Eucharist, in the barangays at least once a month. In the poblacion, a regular schedule for Reconciliation should be made available.
Guided by the laws of the Church, and sustained by an ongoing formation, with moral and financial support from the parishioners, the Diocesan Lay Ministers' Program shall be a permanent organization in the poblacion and barangay.
Inculturation (cf. PCP II, Art 6 and 17) shall be encouraged in the celebration of the liturgy.
To foster genuine Christian life, prayers should be of prime priority.
A Liturgical Education Team that shall be responsible for liturgical renewal, shall be formed and organized on the vicarial level.
Education
Christian education and formation should be given serious attention, highest priority, and fullest support in each barangay, parish, vicariate and in the Diocese as a whole.
A sub-commission on the Family and Life Apostolate, under the Commission on Christian Eduaction, shall be set up with its own coordinator, facilities, and materials for ongoing family life formation and education.
Services (Social Action)
The Social Action Commission should be strengthened in all the parishes, in the vicariates, and in the Diocese as a whole. Members of the renewal groups must involve themselves in this effort by setting up clear ongoing programs in keeping with their unique charisms that shall be responsive to the needs of the social realities of the times.
Temporalities
In keeping with the greater degree of co-responsibility enjoined by ecclesiastical principles, the laity should have wider participation in the management of temporalities, for it is in the areas of finance and management that laity people can give a significant contribution to the Church.
Finance committees on the diocesan and parish levels be organized and integrated into the Pastoral Council, and be made operational so as to maximize diocesan and parish material resources. (cf. Canons 492 & 537).
The guidelines which are in accord with the prescriptions of Canons 528-9, 536 & 537, authorized by the local Ordinary, on the relationship between the Parish Pastoral Council, the Parish Finance Committee (Temporalities) and the parish priest shall be formulated and disseminated.
Membership in the Committee on Temporalities shall include representatives from Church-related lay organizations in the parish.
The rules of transparency shall be strictly observed by priest, religious congregations and Church-related lay organizations, regarding Church assets and liabilities.
The Commission should perform its duties “with diligence of a good housekeeper.”
Youth
There shall be a strong and effective Youth Ministry that shall consist of the following: School-Based Youth Ministry (Campus Ministry), and Parish-Based Youth Ministry for Out-of-School Youth and Community/Barangay-Based Youth.
The Youth Ministry (parish-based and school-based) shall consist of: 1) the formation of the members; and 2) regular outreach ministry, like youth choir, formation sessions, recollections and retreats, youth camps, leadership training seminars, culture and sports, and ecological concerns.
The parishes shall ensure the effective implementation of these programs through financial resourcefulness.
The Diocesan Youth Commission Office shall be set up to implement and follow up these programs. The Youth Commission Head, with the help of the Parish-Based Coordinator and the School-Based Coordinator, together with the Vicarial Youth Coordinators, shall be responsible for these programs and activities.
Clergy, Seminarians and Vocation
There shall be an ongoing Pastoral Formation for the seminarians during the Summer Apostolate and the Diaconal Program.
Support groups among the laity shall be organized in the parishes in order to nurture the priestly vocation as well as provide the need financial support.
There shall be an ongoing education and orientation of the clergy to the concept of Renewed Church according to PCP II.
There shall be a functioning commission that would be charged with the regular education and formation of the clergy.
The Presbyterium should be the symbol of a Basic Ecclesial Community and a Community of Disciples.
The clergy shall promote, support, and provide pastoral care for all BEC, Church-related lay organizations, faith communities, and renewal movements.
In the event that the priest gets transferred, existing pastoral programs in the parish shall be supported and sustained by the incoming parish priest.
Pastoral Councils in all levels (parish, vicarial, diocesan) shall be opportunities for fostering dialogue among the people of God.
Short History of the Diocese
On December 5, 1974, Pope Paul VI issued a Bull "Quae ampliores exspectantur" creating a Diocese comprising the Province of Northern Samar with a See in Catarman. On December 12, 1974, the Pope issued another document appointing Msgr. Angel T. Hobayan as the residential bishop of the new Diocese of Catarman. [...] On March 5, 1975, he was ordained bishop by the new Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani, at the Cathedral of Borongan. [...] On March 11, 1975, [Archbishop Torpigliani] formally declared the Diocese of Catarman and installed its first Residential Bishop, Most Rev. Angel T. Hobayan, D.D.
BALERITE, G., "Diocese of Catarman: The Church which is in Northern Samar" in Diocese of Catarman in Twenty Five Years and More, Catarman, 2000, pp. 47-49.
Liturgy of the Hours
Pray with the Church
“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Contact Us
Diocesan Catholic Center
DCC Compound
Catarman, N. Samar 6400 Philippines
+63 (055) 500 8560