The Diocese of Pagadian is gifted with different cultures due to the presence of the Tri-people: Subanen, Muslims and Christians. The Subanen are the principal indigenous group, mostly inhabiting the upland territory of the diocese. The Muslim communities are generally in the coastal municipalities. The Christian settlers who are now the majority in Pagadian City and the surrounding municipalities occupy the lowlands. Despite their differences in culture and faith, Pagadianons are one in their aspiration and struggle for unity, peace and development. Their differences are gems to be cared for and are treasures to be respected and cherished.

Pagadian used to be part of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga. It was elevated as a diocese on November 12, 1971 by His Holiness Pope Paul VI. On May 31, 1973, His Excellency, the Most Rev. Jesus B. Tuquib, a native of Bohol, was installed as the first bishop of Pagadian. The Columban Fathers who came from Ireland, America, Australia and New Zealand generously aided the young diocese and its bishop. The Columbans continued the missionary work started by the Jesuit missionaries.

The Columban missionaries worked hard not only in ministering the different parishes and engaging in the various apostolates of the diocese but also in their fight to eliminate illiteracy. Aside from working as parish priests, the Columban Fathers founded High School educational institutions for the poor and the needy in almost every parish they served. There were no public schools then in the towns or barangays. In Pagadian City there was only a couple of private schools catering for the high school students of Zamboanga del Sur. The cost of transportation, board and lodging was not affordable to most students
from the rural areas. With the establishment of secondary school in the parishes, the Church offered to the young people an opportunity to obtain education right at their doorsteps. Despite the proliferation of public High Schools today, the Diocesan schools continue to provide Christian education and intellectual formation to the youth. The Diocese has also built a College institution – the Saint Columban College (SCC). In 2007, SCC celebrated its Golden Jubilee. These educational landmarks in the city and in the parishes are among the monumental legacies that the Columban Missionaries have bequeathed to
the people of Zamboanga del Sur.

The missionary work of the Columban Fathers yielded abundant fruits of priestly vocations. In 1976, Rev. Fr. Francisco L. Pintac was ordained as the first Filipino Diocesan priest from Pagadian. The following year two more priests, Rev. Fr. Salvador B. Banga and Rev. Fr. Cresencio L. Suarin were ordained. That year was an important milestone for the Diocese as a fertile vineyard for vocations. It marked the creation of the Holy Infant Seminary (HIS). In the following decade, the diocese had a good number of priestly ordinations. However, the yield did not suffice to meet the pastoral needs of the diocese. Priests
from Bohol and Dipolog volunteered to help to make the burden light.

The Diocese paid attention not only to priestly but also to lay formation. In the early 70s, training and seminars were initiated for the formation of the laity. A series of five-week Lay Leadership Training Seminars were held in the Diocese. That paved the way to the organization of full-time parish workers. From then on, seminars were regularly conducted at diocesan and parish levels in order to train full-time parish workers as well as part-time volunteers. To ensure unity and collaboration in addressing the pastoral challenges of the Church, the Clergy, Sisters and Laity held a monthly PSL Meeting. It is now called PRL (Priests, Religious and Lay) to include also the religious brothers in the Diocese. The PRL meeting addresses different issues raised in the vicariates that confront the Church- be they economic, political, ecological or moral.

Even in its early years of existence the Diocese has already faced serious challenges. In August of 1976, Pagadian City was badly hit and shaken by tidal waves caused by an earthquake that brought death and destruction to properties, buildings and roads. The tidal waves swept vast areas along the shores, claiming thousands of lives and crushing houses turning them into debris floating in the sea. This catastrophic and traumatic event carved pain and sorrow in the psyche of every Pagadianon.
In addition, the peace and order situation was unstable due to Martial Law and the pervasive conflict between Christians and Muslims in some areas in the diocese. The local Church was not blind to the problems or challenges that beset residents victimized by natural and man-made calamities. The Church helped to bury the dead, to feed the hungry, to provide residential lots on which the homeless victims of the tidal wave could begin to build and have a new beginning. Fortunately, a number of charitable institutions extended help to the diocese. The Columban Missionaries bought a sizeable area for housing. Through the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), many agencies extended support to the victims. The Diocese is forever thankful to God for the moral as well as the financial support it received especially when people needed them most.
The office of the Social Action became the refuge of the victims of human rights violations and armed conflicts in the rural areas, especially during the Martial Law regime. It provided an avenue for dialogue between Christian and Muslims whose relationships were threatened if not torn apart by pocket rebel activities.

Bishop Jesus B. Tuquib was the first bishop when Pagadian became a Diocese in April-May 31, 1973. In 1984, after he was installed Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, Bishop Antonio R. Tobias took charge of the diocese. Bishop Tobias is well remembered for his vision of a unified pastoral action that would include the poor in the creation of a Church in the spirit of PCP II. When Bishop Tobias was transferred to La Union, Msgr. Patricio Getigan, HP (1993-1994), was appointed Diocesan Administrator.

Pope John Paul II appointed and ordained the Most Rev. Zacharias C. Jimenez as Bishop of Pagadian on January 6, 1995. Bishop Jimenez promoted Interfaith Dialogue and lay empowerment and was well known for his efforts of strengthening the Basic Ecclesial Communities. When Bishop Jimenez moved over to Butuan Diocese as its Auxiliary Bishop, the Bishop of Marawi, Edwin de la Pena, was appointed Administrator of Pagadian Diocese. On 14 th May 2004, a Redemptorist missionary, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Cabajar, CSsR was appointed as bishop and was installed the fourth bishop of Pagadian. His Episcopal ordination took place in Cebu on 14 th August and his installation as the new Bishop of Pagadian took place on the 2 nd September 2004.

Pope Francis appointed Most Rev. Ronald I. Lunas, STL as the fifth Bishop of Pagadian on Nov. 22, 2018. He succeeded Redemptorist Bishop Emmanuel Cabajar, who retired in November 2018 after serving the diocese for 14 years. Bishop Lunas was installed at a Mass at Sto. Niño Cathedral where he received the crozier, emblematic of his new post. Present during this important event were priests and nuns from different dioceses, and visiting bishops led by Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia and Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Some government officials and lay leaders were also in attendance, including representatives of the Interfaith Forum composed of Muslims, Christians, and indigenous Subanen tribe.

He was ordained to the episcopate in Feb. 22, 2019 making him the first homegrown bishop from the Diocese of Digos in its 40 years of existence. (CBCP News March 26, 2019)

Akin to the situation of the entire nation, the Diocese of Pagadian is in a flux as it struggles amidst different socio-political issues that confront its people. Believing that the Gospel becomes Good News only if it tears down the sinful and unjust structures of society, the Pagadian Church never rests until justice reigns. Pagadian does not disengage itself from the fight even if victory is not yet fully in sight.

The rich mineral deposits of gold, copper and lead in some municipalities of the Diocese have become the primary target of exploration and excavation by different mining companies, Large-scale Mining Operators have submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) central office their applications for mining operations.

The clergy of Pagadian met with the DENR undersecretary in February 2008 in order to air their serious concerns and grievances against the mining companies and to ask the DENR not to grant permits and revoke those already issued. Together with Provincial representatives, some DENR personnel came to Pagadian to make an ocular survey/inspection of the mining sites.

Together with the people in those areas, they saw how land was being “raped” by mining activities. Their visit did not produce constructive responses of the mining sites.

Small-scale mining operators continue their operations with alleged toleration if not connivance by some local officials.

But the Diocese remains steadfast in its resolve to stop mining. For as long as mining operations go on, the Diocese will try to fight in defense of Mother Earth and her people, especially the Subanens who are
the most directly affected.

Swetres is the local counterpart of the national Philippine Lotto Swertres draw. The draw is done on the national level by the Philippine Lotto, but these is a local financier. This form of gambling saturates almost all municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur. Both the betting and the collection are done in the open. A poor barangay can easily accumulate the amount of Php5,000 daily to be remitted to the financier. It is not an exaggeration to say that Swertres has become a way of life to countless people in the Diocese. Since swertres is now drawn five times a day it only means that even the last centavo will be taken away from the pocket of the poor who desperately hopes it will be multiplied into pesos.

The Church in Pagadian does not tolerate gambling. There have been massive education campaigns
through homilies and through various Church fora to condemn and discourage the evil of gambling.
While discussions and data gathering on the issue continue with a view to eliciting possible ways to stop
clandestine operations, some parish priests lobby the Local Government Units in order to find measures
to put an end to gambling in any form.

There is a perception that the diocese is not spared from the horror of extrajudicial killings. In fact, the murder of two journalists in Pagadian City, Edgar Damalerio (2001) and Edgar Amoro (2003), hugged the front pages of the dailies. While Damalerio’s gunman was already convicted, Amoro’s fate was never given justice. But the question of who was the mastermind and what was the motive of the killing remained a mystery until now. The number of dead bodies found even in the center of Pagadian City haunts the peace and order situation of the populace. With many killings remain unsolved, people wonder whether they are still safe in Pagadian.

Carnapping incidents remain a threat to those with vehicles. When carnapping syndicates strike, they strike in succession. Hold-up incidents are not a rarity either. They happen not only in remote barangays but also in the city whether at night or in broad daylight.

In recent years, the relationship between the Christians and Muslims, which was dented in the past by violent incidents, has slowly been mended through many peace fora between the clergy and Muslim religious leaders. The warring parties in the late 70’s now enjoy relative peace. However, the recent and ongoing armed conflict of Lanao del Norte, threatens the peace that both Christian and Muslim communities value and aspire for. The controversial Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain aspect, which includes several barangays in the province, has caused a lot of tension and even occasioned bloodshed and destruction in neighboring areas. Now the entire province fears the unwanted revival of the bloody conflicts of the 70’s that unsettled or displace countless communities and disrupted the peaceful and harmonious co-existence between the Muslims and Christians.

To realize the vision and mission of the Diocese, different programs and apostolates have been created. Most of these are parish-based, which may also have vicariate or diocesan officers. A priest is often appointed to guide each program and apostolate in order to try to bring out the spirit of cooperation between the laity and the clergy. The following are some of the various apostolates and programs that serve the faithful of the Diocese.

This is a program of the local Church of Pagadian that supports the financial need for evangelization, catechesis, social and health services, environment, justice and peace, missionary activities and many more. This program is implemented to manifest the responsibility of the faithful to support his religion so that God will be praised and the Church will prosper. This is called Hatag-uli (Giving back) rather than tithes so that all the people including the poor are invited to share in a spirit of gratitude to God their resources for the church. Hatag-uli does not demand an obligatory 10 per cent share for the Church. Everybody is encouraged to share according to one’s financial capacity in a spirit of gospel stewardship and generosity of heart. The individual families would decide what amount to share with the Church. Hatag-uli is not limited to money. Hatag-uli can be in a form of sharing talents, time and services one could give to God through the Church. Hatag-uli includes sharing of one’s faith, the Word of God, vocation promotion, caring for the earth as stewards. At present, the diocese is still in the process of assessing if this program is fully implemented in the parishes, and if it is promoting Christian growth in the communities.

As early as the 1960s, the Columban Missionaries initiated the “Little Parish”. This consisted of 7-10 families in a neighborhood, which met regularly to discuss biblical verses and how these related to their daily lives. This was an offshoot of the Christian Community Program (CCP) which had its roots at the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila. The “Little Parish” might not have flourished in many communities but those that got involved in the movement found traces of it in the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC), Gagmayng SImbahanong Katilingban in Cebuano (GSK), which was established in all the parishes in the 1970s. The GSK found its flowering when the Redemptorist Itinerant Mission Team (RIMT) generously gave their time and energy to organize communities in some parishes of the diocese. Before the mission team left Pagadian Diocese in the early 90’s, they organized the Diocesan Mission Team (DMT) to continue the work of building or strengthening the GSK in other parishes in the diocese.

Today, the bigger challenge is how to build on the past and further strengthen the GSKs and make these self-nourishing and truly a Church of the poor with missionary dynamism and sustainability. GSK members generally participate actively in the life and apostolic work of the parish. The GSK as a new way of living the Church has become the life-blood of the Diocese. The GSK faces the continuing challenge of the tripartite dialogue with the other religious traditions, cultures and the poor as a specific way of realizing its task of evangelization.

The Diocesan Youth Apostolate (DYA) is as vigorous as the energy of the youth. The Youth Apostolate in every parish energizes the local Church and as such lights up the present and the future of the Church. To give updates on the youth activities and to discuss matters relevant to the participation of the youth in Church Mission, the DYA tries to be faithful at sending representatives to the sub-regional (DOPIM) meeting every two months. The DYA also coordinates with the MSPC youth apostolate for a wider network. Representatives of the Youth Apostolate in the various parishes meet every two months for planning and coordination. In order to give emphasis on the important role of the youth in the parishes and the diocese, a Parish Youth Day is held annually. That also serves as a preparation for the annual diocesan-wide celebration of the Youth Day, which falls in the month of May. Every three years, the diocese hosts a Diocesan Youth Congress. A parish has its own Parish Youth Mission Team that help organize the youth and encourage their active participation of the Church.

In 2000, the Holy Infant Seminary (HIS) temporarily discontinued its program for college students preparing for theological studies leading to priesthood. Perhaps as a result of this, the number of seminarians entering St. Mary’s Theologate (SMT) in the succeeding years decreased. HIS became the venue for a pre-theological formation for young professionals and college graduates who felt called to the priesthood. That was a two-year program in preparation for theological studies at SMT. HIS reopened once again in June 2008 as a college seminary, and took in 17 pre-college seminarians for a good start. It is hoped that priestly vocation in the diocese would increase again after it experienced a drought in the early part of the first decade in the millennium.

There is a group of Vocation Promoters in the diocese. They come from the different parishes. They promote vocations through their prayers and moral support. They also help raise material/financial support for the initial priestly formation program of the Diocese.

Serving the diocese for many years already, the Family and Life Apostolate (FLA) never gets tired in its efforts to safeguard the sacredness of the family and to fight against any forces that destroy human life and the family. Since its establishment, the FLA members, together with their Parish Priest, generally meet once a month in order to discuss and plan how to intensify their campaign for life. To promote the value of cooperation, a vicariate meeting is held once a month. Twice a year, the members hold a Diocesan assembly

To improve the liturgical celebrations, the priest in charge of liturgical mattes in the Diocese attends the annual assembly for updates on liturgical norms. He would re-echo the outcome of the annual assembly to the rest of the clergy and gives encouragement for whatever needs to be implemented in the parishes with the help of the Parish Liturgical Committees.

The new guide for Sunday Liturgy in the absence of Priest is now used in the barrio chapels. Seminars on Liturgy and on liturgical arts, space and music are organized from time to time. Trained priests assist the bishop in big liturgical celebrations.

A Diocesan Ministry to Women and Children was established in the diocese in 1997 through the persevering efforts of Sr. Breda Noonan, a Columban Sister, during the time of Msgr. Zacharias Jimenez. This ministry facilitates Community Awareness Training, Healing Program for abused women and children, Legal Assistance Program. It is involved in advocacy on the prevention of HIV. Sabakan has intensified advocacy among the youth in parishes and schools, among teachers in Diocesan schools as well as public schools, and also among priests and laity. Many abused women and children have found Sabakan a refuge where they could let out their problems and get appropriate support.