Roman Catholic Diocese of Iba

The Diocese of Iba (Lat: Dioecesis Ibanae) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that comprises the province of Zambales and City of Olongapo.

Diocese of Iba Dioecesis Ibanae Diyosesis ng Iba Diocesis ti Iba
Catholic
Iba Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country	Philippines
Territory	Zambales and Olongapo City
Ecclesiastical province	San Fernando
Statistics
Area	3,642 km2 (1,406 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2021) 907,231 725,785[1] (80%)
Parishes	23
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	15 November 1982
Cathedral	St. Augustine of Hippo Cathedral-Parish
Patron saint	Augustine of Hippo
Secular priests	41
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Bartolome G. Santos, Jr.
Metropolitan Archbishop	Florentino Lavarias
Vicar General	Rev. Fr. Ernesto C. Raymundo

Diocese of Iba

On 12 June 1955, a territorial prelature was erected from territory in the dioceses of San Fernando, Pampanga, and of Diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and was elevated as the Diocese of Iba on 15 November 1982.^[2] The diocese is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of San Fernando, Pampanga.

On 17 February 2018, Bartolome G. Santos Jr., the vicar general of the Diocese of Malolos and rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima was designated as the new bishop replacing Florentino G. Lavarias who vacated the post after his installation as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Fernando, Pampanga. The latter also served as a co-consecrator for Bishop Santos's ordination alongside Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle who served as principal consecrator and the late Malolos Bishop Jose F. Oliveros, and as installing prelate during his installation.

Saint Augustine of Hippo Cathedral-Parish

Bartolome Gaspar Santos

Coat of arms

The transfixed flaming heart is the symbol of Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, who is the titular of the cathedral. The bezants represent the great wealth found in the Zambales mountains which cover the territory of the diocese.^[3]

• 
  The original coat of arms as designed by Bishop Mariano Madriaga

Ordinaries

Ordinaries of the Territorial Prelature and Diocese of Iba

No.	Portrait	Name	Coat of Arms	From	Until	Duration	Notes
Prelates of Iba (20 August 1956 – 15 November 1982)
1		Henry Byrne, S.S.C.M.E. 1913–1983		20 Aug 1956	15 Nov 1982	26 years, 2 months, 26 days	First and only territorial prelate; later became first diocesan bishop.
Bishops of Iba (15 November 1982 – present)
1		Henry Byrne, S.S.C.M.E. 1913–1983		15 Nov 1982	16 Jul 1983	8 months, 1 day	First diocesan bishop; retired days before death.
2		Paciano B. Aniceto 1937–		20 Oct 1983	31 Jan 1989	5 years, 3 months, 11 days	Appointed as Archbishop of San Fernando.
3		Deogracias S. Iñiguez Jr. 1940–		27 Dec 1989	28 Jun 2003	13 years, 6 months, 1 day	Appointed as Bishop of Kalookan.
4		Florentino G. Lavarias 1957–		19 Jun 2004	25 Jul 2014	10 years, 1 month, 6 days	Appointed as Archbishop of San Fernando.
5		Bartolome G. Santos 1967 –		17 Feb 2018	Incumbent	ongoing	Current bishop of Iba.

Priests from the Diocese of Iba who became bishops

• Daniel O. Presto, 6th Bishop of the Diocese of San Fernando de La Union.
• Teodoro Bacani, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Novaliches.

See also

• Catholic Church in the Philippines
• List of Catholic dioceses in the Philippines