A new bishop will be installed in the Diocese of Catarman during a Mass early next year.
The installation Mass for the third Catarman bishop, Nolly Buco, will take place at the Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral on Jan. 15.
Buco, 60, was appointed by Pope Francis in October, nearly a year after serving as apostolic administrator of Catarman diocese.
The outgoing auxiliary bishop of Antipolo will succeed Bishop Emmanuel Trance, whose early resignation due to health issues in December 2023 left the diocese vacant.
Catarman is one of the three dioceses on the island of Samar, covering the entire northern province.
Since its establishment in 1974, the ecclesiastical territory now has more than 30 parishes served by around 50 priests.
Buco is the current chairman of the CBCP’s Commission on Canon Law and also serves as the judicial vicar of the Church’s National Tribunal of Appeals.
