QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – The Diocese of Cubao welcomes a new spiritual leader with the appointment of Bishop Elect Fr. Elias Ayuban Jr., CMF, who was officially named by Pope Francis as the successor to the Most Rev. Honesto F. Ongtioco, D.D. The announcement was made by the Vatican, at 6:00 PM Philippine time.
Bishop Elect Fr. Ayuban has been serving as the provincial superior of the Claretian missionaries in the Philippine Province since 2019. The province’s current structure also includes missions in Australia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
At 56, Ayuban will become the second Filipino Claretian to be appointed bishop, following Bishop Leo Dalmao, the current shepherd of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan.
The Claretian missionaries have had a historical presence in Basilan, with their first prelate, the late Bishop José María Querejeta, also being a Claretian, though of Spanish descent.
Born in Parang, North Cotabato, Fr. Ayuban made his religious profession on May 5, 1991, and was ordained as a priest on March 9, 1996.
He previously served as an official at the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and holds a doctorate in canon law. He has also taught at the Claretianum in Rome and, since 2022, served as co-chairperson of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines (CMSP).
Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, who has served as the diocese’s first bishop since its creation, will be remembered as a caring father, a simple person, and a faithful leader.
He called on the faithful to extend a warm and wholehearted welcome to the new Bishop, “I humbly ask all the faithful of our diocese to extend a warm and wholehearted welcome to our new Bishop. Let us support him with our prayers and our cooperation as he begins his pastoral ministry with us.”
He further gives his heartfelt gratitude to all the people who have journeyed with him as the pastor of the Diocese of Cubao, “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you. It has been a blessing to journey with you as the first shepherd of this beloved diocese since its establishment 21 years ago. Let us entrust everything to the providence and guidance of the Lord as we journey into the future, full of hope and full of joy.”
The Episcopal Ordination and the Rite of Canonical Possession for Bishop-elect Ayuban will take place at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Cubao on December 3, 2024, coinciding with the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Missionaries.
The Diocese of Cubao, established in 2003, covers a significant portion of Quezon City it has numerous parishes and a home to hundreds of religious congregations that serve the spiritual and social needs of the community. The faithful of the diocese are hopeful that under Bishop Ayuban’s leadership, the diocese will continue to flourish and reach new milestones in its mission of evangelization and service.