Virac closes Diocesan Golden Jubilee with 3-year Pastoral Plan

Includes Counseling Ministry for the Youth and Married Couples

By Natalie Hazel Quimlat

In a press conference held for the closing of their Golden Jubilee as a Diocese, Virac unveiled its 3-year Pastoral Plan moving forward, focusing on the threefold ministry of Christ: prophetic, priestly and Kingly. 

Held last Monday, August 25, at the Bishop’s Residence in Fiat Village, Virac, Fr. Stephen Polo, Secretary of the Office for Pastoral Plan, walked the audience through the next 3 years. The remaining months of 2025 will be dedicated for the preparatory phase. 

“The Diocese aims to journey together fostering unity, communion and mission,” he said. 

In 2026, the Diocese will focus on the prophetic ministry of Christ, holding formation sessions across the Diocese, aiming for the “30% increase in [Church] participation”. 

In 2027, the focus will be on the priestly mission of Christ, on communion and the establishment and nurturing of Basic Ecclesial Communities.

In 2028, the Diocese will focus on the Kingly ministry of Christ, specifically on mission and stewardship.

“The Mission is inspired by John 10:10,” Polo explained. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 

In addition, Fr. Paul Isorena enumerated the new specialized offices created in the Diocese. For the Youth Apostolate, these include a Counseling Ministry, a Committee on Youth Pastoral Forum and an Office for Youth Media Ministry, to name a few. 

For the Cluster for Family and Life, these are Offices for Marriage Counseling and Marriage Encounter. 

In addition, the Diocese also established Offices for Grandparents and for the LGBTQIA+ community.

In his message, Virac Bishop Luisito Occiano expressed gratitude for the rich faith the Diocese has been blessed with. “We are blessed with 50 fruitful years,” he said, naming “Church luminaries” who hail from the Diocese of Virac and highlighting the origins of the Youth Encounter program that the Diocese is known for. 

In closing, he said, “I ask for your prayers as we journey as one Church of God.”

Occiano serves as the 3rd Bishop of Virac. He was preceded by Bishop Emeritus Manolo de los Santos, who led the Diocese for almost 3 decades. 

It was in August 1974 that the Diocese of Virac was canonically established, separated from the Diocese of Legazpi, with then Bishop Jose Sorra as its first prelate.