07/02/2026
๐๐๐๐: Most Rev. Leo M. Dalmao, CMF, DD releases Circular letter No. 34, Series of 2026.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ!
With gratitude to God and deep joy in our hearts, we wish to inform all the lay faithful of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan about an important development in the life of our local Church.
During the recent 131st Assembly of the Catholic Bishopsโ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the bishops voted with an overwhelming majority in favor of requesting the Holy See to elevate our Prelature into a Diocese. We now humbly await a favorable response from the Vatican, trusting in Godโs providence and guidance.
Our ecclesiastical territory was created on October 12, 1963, by the late St. Pope Paul VI, as a Prelature nullius, a missionary jurisdiction entrusted to the pastoral care of the late Most Rev. Jose Ma. Querexeta, CMD, DD, as the first bishop-prelate.
A prelature is an ecclesiastical territory established in places where the Church is growing but not yet fully organized as a diocese. According to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the supreme authority of the Church has the competence to erect, modify, or suppress particular Churches (cf. can. 373). When a territory is not yet ready to function as a full diocese, the Church may establish another ecclesiastical circumscription, such as an apostolic vicariate or territorial prelature (cf. can. 370โ371).
A diocese, on the other hand, is a stable community of the faithful entrusted to a bishop and fully organized as a particular Church in which the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative (cf. can. 369).
Thus, the elevation from a prelature to a diocese is a sign of maturity and growth in faith, structures, and mission, and many concrete reasons support this proposed elevation.
Over the years, we have witnessed a steady growth in priestly and religious vocations, the increase in the number of parishes and mission stations, the strengthening of lay organizations, and the deeper participation of the faithful in the life of the Church. We are also grateful for the improved peace and order in the province, which has allowed pastoral programs, education, and social services to flourish. These developments show that our local Church has taken firm root and continues to grow in unity and mission. This moment is not only an administrative step but a spiritual milestone. It is the fruit of decades of sacrifice, missionary dedication, and the living faith of our people. We invite all the faithful to pray fervently that the Holy See may look kindly upon this request.
Let us thank God for the past, remain faithful in the present, and walk with hope into the future as one community in Christ. May Mary, Mother of the Church, and our patron saints continue to intercede for us.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
MOST REV. LEO M. DALMAO, CMF, DD
Bishop-Prelate
REV. FR. FRANKLYN FLOYD G. COSTAN, JCL
Chancellor
The letter may also be accessed through the following link: https://tinyurl.com/PN-037
