The newly established Diocese of Calapan is beginning its life as a diocese with a decades-old legacy of priestly formation rooted in three institutions that have accompanied the Catholic Church in Mindoro: St. Augustine Seminary, St. Augustine Major Seminary and St. Augustine House of Spirituality.
Calapan, the capital of Oriental Mindoro province in the central Philippines, became a diocese after Pope Leo XIV elevated the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan on March 25, 2026. The new Diocese was formally erected on August 7, with Bishop Moises Magpantay Cuevas installed as its first bishop.
The transition marks a significant development for a local Church whose pastoral history has been shaped by missionary work, Indigenous communities and efforts to develop a local clergy.
That effort dates back to 1962, when Bishop Wilhelm Josef Duschak, SVD, the second Apostolic Vicar of Calapan, established the St. Augustine Minor Seminary in Suqui, Calapan City. Fr. John Racz, SVD, served as its first rector, with 28 seminarians in the first batch.
The seminary was established to nurture vocations and prepare young men for service in the emerging Church of Mindoro. In 2000, its high school program was phased out, and the institution became St. Augustine Seminary, offering collegiate formation and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.
The second stage of formation developed in Tagaytay, Cavite, a city south of Manila known for its seminaries and religious formation houses.
In 1968, the first group of St. Augustine seminarians went to Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay for philosophy studies. They initially lived with SVD novices.
In 1969, Bishop Duschak established St. Augustine Major Seminary in Tagaytay, with Fr. Ewald Dinter, SVD, as its first rector.
For more than five decades, the seminary has served candidates from Calapan as well as seminarians from other dioceses and religious congregations. Its alumni include Archbishop John Du of Palo, Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bishop Buenaventura Famadico of San Pablo, Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan and Bishop Glen Corsiga of Ipil.
The seminary also has a distinctive connection with Mindoro’s Indigenous communities. In 2007, Fr. Gabayno Oybad, a Hanunuo Mangyan, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Calapan, marking an important milestone in the development of Indigenous vocations.
A third institution complemented the academic formation of seminarians.
In 1991, Bishop Warlito I. Cajandig established the St. Augustine House of Spirituality in Subaan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro. Fr. Buenaventura M. Famadico, now Bishop-emeritus of San Pablo, served as its first rector and spiritual director.
The house was established to foster the spiritual and integral formation of priests and seminarians through the Eucharist, Liturgy of the Hours, meditation and spiritual direction. Its spirituality draws from the Benedictine principle Ora et Labora prayer and work.
Fr. Andy Peter Lubi, who served as rector and dean of St. Augustine Seminary from 2005 to 2013 and later as rector of St. Augustine Major Seminary from 2015 to 2024, was also among the founding batch of the House of Spirituality.
Together, the three institutions reflect the long-term effort to form a local clergy for Mindoro.
As the Diocese of Calapan begins its new chapter, that formation legacy remains central to its mission. The elevation from vicariate to diocese changes its canonical status, but the task of nurturing vocations, forming ministers and serving the people of Mindoro continues.
