Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cotabato

Diocese
name= Archdiocese of Cotabto


province= flagicon|Philippines Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Cotabato City
bishop= Orlando B. Quevedo
cathedral=
archdeaconries=
deaneries=
subdivisions=
parishes= 24
congregations=11
members=
churches=
website= During pre-Spanish times the territory now known as the Cotabatos was very sparsely poplulated. It had only scattered settlements of Maguindanao Muslims, several mountain tribes and Chinese traders co-existing peacefully in the area.

During the Spanish regime, the native inhabitants resisted all efforts of Spain to colonize them. Because of the frequent encounters with the Spanish military, the place remained sparsely settled for centuries. It was only in the early 1900's that Cotabato began to show a semblance of a new awakening.

In 1913 the American government opened up vast tracts of land to migration from the northern islands of Visayas and Luzon. Migrations in large numbers poured into the province over the years and continued up to the late 1960's. Today most of the inhabitants are Christian migrants from places outside of Mindanao.

As a single province Cotabato quickly developed and became known as the rice granary of Mindanao. It had much surplus of rice. There was also much fishing around Illana Bay and the Moro Gulf, bringing in species of mackerel, tuna and anchovies, supplemented by fresh-water varieties from fishponds and lakes.

The rich harvests were attributed to the Rio Grande de Mindanao, a river that crosses Cotabato at various points, leaving silted soil that produces rich rice lands. The weather in Cotabato is another contributing factor - the province lies outside the country's "typhoon belt," so there is no damage to crops due to seasonal tropical storms.

Rubber plantations abound in the area, and before a log ban was imposed by the Philippines Government to preserve Philippine forests, logging was a major industry. The native Muslims and Tirurays continue up to this day to weave cloth from handlooms to produce the richly designed malong , a Muslim garment for women. They also weave baskets, bags, and hats called salakots which are used by farmers while planting.

In 1967, the large single province of Cotabato was subdivided politically into two provinces: Cotabato Province forming upper half and Cotabato del Sur the lower half. More subdivisions followed.

On August 11, 1950, while the Cotabatos were still one province with Cotabato City as the capital, the Prelature of Cotabato was established, coming under the jurisdiction of Cagayan de Oro. When it was elevated to a diocese in 1976 it remained a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. After the subdivision of the Cotabatos, the Prelature of Marbel was established in Cotabato del Sur.

On November 5, 1979, the Diocese of Cotabato was elevated to an archdiocese. It now comprises parts of the three provinces of Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Cotabato City. The Diocese of Marbel and the Diocese of Kidapawan are its suffragans. The archdiocese is headed by Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI.

The archdiocese now covers a land area of 8,889 square kilometers and a population of 1,545,291, of which 52 per cent are Catholics. It has 24 parishes served by 67 diocesan and religious priests. There are also 11 religious brothers and 141 religious sisters working in the archdiocese.

Among its educational centers are 1 major seminary, 1 minor seminary, 1 university, 3 colleges, 9 elementary and high schools under diocesan supervision, and 17 under religious congregations.

History

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cotabato was carved out from the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro as the Diocese of Cotabato. It was erected on 11 August 1950 for the three provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao. The Diocese of Marbel and the Diocese of Kidapawan are its suffragans. On 5 November 1979, Pope John Paul II elevated the Diocese of Cotabato into an Archdiocese.

Address

The office of the Archdiocese of Cotabato is currently located at Archbishop's Residence, P.O. Box 186, 158 Sinsuat Ave., 9600 Cotobato City, Philippines.

Prelates

*Current Archbishop is Most Rev. Orlando Beltran Quevedo, O.M.I..
**Date of Birth: March 11, 1939
**Place of Birth: Laoag, Ilocos Norte
**Sacerdotal Ordination: June 5, 1964 – Washington, DC, USA
**Episcopal Ordination: October 28, 1980 – Kidapawan, Cotabato
**Appointments: July 23, 1980 – Appointed Bishop of the Prelature of Kidapawan
**March 22, 1986 – Appointed Archbishop of Nueva Segovia:
**May 30, 1998 – Appointed Archbishop of Cotabato

*Auxiliary Bishop is Jose Colin Mendoza Bagaforo
**Born on 30 Jan 1954 in Cotabato City
**Ordained as priest of the Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato at age 26 last 25 Mar 1980
**Appointed as bishop and titular bishop of Vazari-Dida on 2 Feb 2006
**Ordained bishop at age 52 on 25 Apr 2006 in Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato City

Religious Congregations in the Archdiocese

=Men=
*Oblates of Mary Immaculate
*Society of Mary or Marist Fathers
*Marist Brothers for Schools

=Women=
*Oblates of Notre Dame
*Religious of the Virgin Mary
*Siervas de la Nuestra Senora dela Paz
*Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena
*Religious des Notre Dame de Missions
*Missionaries of Christ Jesus
*Carmelite Sisters of Charity-Vedruna
*Associate of Notre Dame

Reference

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dcota.html Catholic Hierarchy]
* [http://www.cbcponline.org/jurisdictions/cotabato.htmlCBCP]