Preparations are underway in the Diocese of Kalibo for its golden jubilee in 2026.

Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc presided over a Mass at the Kalibo Cathedral on July 15 to formally launch a three-year preparation for the diocese’s 50th anniversary.

Prior to the Mass, a procession was held around town that was joined by hundreds of faithful from different parishes.

“This extraordinary year of faith will be a time of profound spiritual renewal and conversion for our diocese. Let us open our hearts and minds to God’s invitation to encounter His mercy and love in a deeper way,” Tala-oc said in his homily.

“Through various liturgical celebrations, pilgrimages, works of charity, and acts of devotion, we will grow in holiness and strengthen our bonds as the people of God,” he said.

The bishop also led the unveiling of the logo for the diocese’s golden jubilee that, according to him, “captures the essence of our journey together”.

“It invites us to embrace our baptismal call and to share the joy of the Gospel,” Tala-oc said.

“We pray and dream to journey as one family of God, one community of God, and one Church of Christ’s disciples. We walk together, and we journey together,” he added.

The Kalibo diocese was created by Pope Paul IV on January 17, 1976, and erected on July 15, 1976, as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Capiz.

Since its establishment, the diocese had been served by four prelates including Bishop Juan Nilmar from 1976 to 1992; Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes from 1992 to 2002, and Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo from 2003 to 2009.

Tala-oc, 73, has been serving as the diocese’s fourth bishop since 2011.

Over the years, Aklan has given rise to individuals who have embraced religious vocations and achieved renown as bishops. Aside from Reyes and Tala-oc, other notable figures are the first Filipino archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes, Cardinal Jaime Sin, Bishop Ciceron Tumbocon, and Bishop Raul Martirez.

Currently the diocese comprises six vicariates, 24 parishes, and two mission stations.

Moreover, the diocese recently hosted the spiritual retreat and the 126th plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).