St. Joseph Cathedral (San Jose, Occidental Mindoro)

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Saint Joseph the Worker Cathedral, commonly called Saint Joseph Cathedral, is a Latin Catholic church in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. It is the episcopal seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose in Mindoro. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Joseph the Worker, with Our Lady of Fatima as the secondary patroness.

History: Mindoro was once under the Archdiocese of Manila and then under the Diocese of Lipa after 1910. In 1936 it became an apostolic prefecture led by Bishop William Finneman. After Mindoro split into Occidental and Oriental Mindoro in 1951, the prefecture became the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan. The current church building was completed on September 30, 1962, replacing a World War II–era quonset hut chapel and was built by German and Filipino Catholics; it was blessed by Apostolic Vicar William Duschak. In 1983, Pope John Paul II created the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose in Mindoro and Vicente C. Manuel was named the first Apostolic Vicar and bishop. That same year the church was elevated to cathedral status.

Present day: The cathedral serves the Parish of San Jose-Pandurucan. The rector is Arnel Belamide; the assistant priest is Jerry Del Campo Jalos. The diocese is directly exempt to the Holy See. The current bishop is Pablito Martinez Tagura; the archbishop of the province is Gilbert Armea Garcera. Saint Joseph’s feast is celebrated on May 1, and Our Lady of Fatima’s feast is on May 13.