The Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira nas Filipinas (ICABF) is a Catholic Church in communion with the Patriarchate of Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira headed by the President of Bishop's council and present Patriarch of ICAB His Eminence Dom Josivaldo Pereira de Oliveira, a member of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by our Lord Jesus Christ to bring the Gospel to
all peoples. ICABF traces its apostolic succession in the Roman Catholic Church through the Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira (ICAB) founded by a Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa of Botucatu, Brazil. Dom Carlos Duarte Costa established ICAB on the 6th July 1945 because of ecclesiastical and civil persecutions in Brazil in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Since he was a Catholic Bishop, he continued his episcopacy in his newly founded Church. Also, it traces its apostolic succession in the Eastern Catholic Church through Archbishop John Maximovitch, the Russian Orthodox bishop of Shanghai, China, who was consecrated bishop on November 21, 1935. Due to the manner by which it was established, the Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira nas Filipinas is seen to be a uniquely evolved Catholic Church. Its uniqueness stems from the fact that its Philippine founders, Bishop Forest Ernest Barber and Bishop Harold James Donovan, had integrally blended within them Christianity’s two major Catholic traditions: The Eastern (Orthodox) and the Western (Roman) Churches. Bishop Forest Ernest Barber was consecrated on January 30, 1985 by the late Patriarch Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez, assisted by Bishop Melquiades Rosa Garcia and Bishop Bartolomeu Sebastiao Viela in the Cathedral of the Miraculous Medal in Brazil. Consequently, Bishop Forest Ernest Barber was appointed as the Bishop-Primate of the Holy Apostolic Church of the Philippines. Meanwhile, Bishop Harold James Donovan was consecrated by Bishop Forest Ernest Barber on 19th January 1987 who eventually became the Primate of the Holy Apostolic Church of the Philippines. On the 23rd April 1995, Bishop Joseph Verzosa Galaroza was consecrated by Bishop Harold James Donovan. After the death of Bishop Harold James Donovan in 1996, Dom Joseph Verzosa Galaroza became the Primate of the ICABF up to the present. The Igreja Catolica Brasileira nas Filipinas’ Catholic Apostolic jurisdiction is all over the country Philippines. It is established as the Diocese of Manila and the Philippines under Dom Joseph Verzosa Galaroza, CSC DD as the Bishop-Administrator and Primate. He is assisted by the missionary clergies of the Congregação de São Carlos do Brasil (Congregation of St. At present, its area of concentrations are in Metro Manila, Bulacan Province, Laguna Province, Rizal Province, and South Central Mindanao.
