Archdiocese of Caceres

The Pilgrim City of Naga, Bikol, Philippines

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Gabos kaayon,

gabos may gibuhon.

A Church where everyone belongs,
and everyone has a vital role

75th Year of the Archdiocese of Caceres

The Archdiocese of Cáceres is the metropolitan see of the Bicol Church, seated in the Pilgrim City of Naga, with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist as its mother church. Founded as the Diocese of Nueva Cáceres on 14 August 1595 by Pope Clement VIII and elevated to an archdiocese on 29 June 1951 by Pope Pius XII, it now shepherds the third, fourth, and fifth districts of Camarines Sur, the cities of Naga and Iriga, and the municipality of Gainza. Home to some ninety-three parishes, the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, and a National Shrine, it is served by the fifth Metropolitan Archbishop, Most Rev. Rex Andrew C. Alarcon, D.D., whose motto is Servus tuus sum—I am Your servant.

This year the Archdiocese marks its Diamond Jubilee: seventy-five years as the metropolitan center of Bicol (1951–2026). That thanksgiving is gathered into Peñafrancia 2026 under the theme Ina: Nurturing a Growing Church, honoring also the 144th Feast of the Divino Rostro and the 316th Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. The principal days are 11 September, the Traslación of Inâ to the Cathedral and the start of the novena; 17 September, the jubilee celebration with the Papal Nuncio; and 19 September, the fluvial procession along the Naga River and the Sunday solemnity.

The pastoral thrust of 2026 is participation: Gabos kaayon, gabos may gibúhon—everyone belongs, and everyone has a vital role. Archbishop Alarcon has named this the Year of Participation, likening the Church to a diamond that shines only through its many facets. Under the care of Inâ, Cáceres is called to grow not merely in number but in communion, shared responsibility, and mission, so that every disciple finds a home and every gift is sent forth.

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Papal Bull & History

PEÑAFRANCIA 2026 THEME:

Ina: Nurturing a Growing Church

Penafrancia 2026 Schedule

Faith Stories of Ina's Intercession

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In thanksgiving for the Diamond Jubilee of the Archdiocese of Cáceres (1951–2026). All clergy, religious, families, voyadores, pilgrims, and devotees are invited to come home to Naga. The celebration honors the 144th Feast of the Divino Rostro and the 316th Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

11 September 2026 — Feast of the Divino Rostro and the Traslación of Inâ from the old shrine to the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, beginning the novena.
17 September 2026 — Celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the Archdiocese, with the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines.
19 September 2026 — Fluvial Procession along the Naga River, followed by the Sunday solemnity.

The fiesta is a call to live Gabos Kaayon, Gabos may Gibúhon—everyone belongs, everyone has a mission.

Under the gaze of the Divino Rostro and the care of Inâ, the Church of Cáceres is invited to grow in communion, participation, and mission.

Viva el Divino Rostro! Viva la Virgen! Come, walk with Inâ, and let her nurture a growing Church.

TRASLACION 2026 - A CALL TO EVANGELIZATION

" Do whatever He tells you."

John 2:5

At Cana, the last recorded words of Ina in the Gospel are a command of trust: “Do whatever he tells you.” In the Traslacion of 2026 she leaves her shrine and walks the streets of Naga so that the growing Church of Caceres may hear that same word again. She does not come only to be honored; she comes to gather her children into obedience to her Son. Every voyador, pilgrim, and household that accompanies her is invited to become a servant who listens and acts. Under the theme Ina Nurturing the Growing Church, this sacred transfer teaches us that the Church grows only when we, like the servants at Cana, do whatever Jesus tells us through His Mother.

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DIAMOND JUBILEE - A MOMENT OF DISCIPLESHIP

"My soul magnifies the Lord for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant."

Luke 1:46

Seventy-five years after Caceres was raised to an Archdiocese, Mary’s Magnificat becomes the song of a grateful local Church. “My soul magnifies the Lord” is the cry of a people who have been nurtured by Ina through generations of faith, storm, and grace. In this Diamond Jubilee we do not celebrate our own achievement but the greatness of God who has done great things for Bicol. Ina teaches the growing Church to remember, to praise, and to proclaim that every blessing is meant for the lowly and the hungry. As we mark these seventy-five years, may our souls, like Mary’s, magnify the Lord so that Caceres may keep growing in humility and mission.

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FLUVIAL PROCESSION 2026 - A CALL TO MISSION

" Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother."

John 19:26

From the Cross, Jesus gave His Mother to the beloved disciple and the disciple to His Mother. In the Fluvial Procession, Ina returns home on the Naga River as the Church of Caceres is again entrusted to her care. “Behold your son, behold your mother” is the charter of a growing Church that finds its identity in belonging to Mary and to one another. The river itself becomes a living sign of the baptismal waters that make us one family under Ina. As she sails back to her Basilica, we accept the gift of this hour: to be sons and daughters who care for the Church as she has always cared for us.

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