Francisco San Diego - Biography

Biography

Francisco Capiral San Diego was born on October 10, 1935 at Lawa, Obando, Bulacan. He spent his elementary years at Obando Elementary School, and was a high school salutatorian at Western Colleges in Naic, Cavite. He underwent Special Latin Course at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, then proceeded to San Carlos Seminary for his philosophical and theological studies. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 21, 1963 by the late Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, Most Rev. Hernando Antiporda.

San Diego was appointed the following year as parochial vicar of the present-day Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City, after which in 1971, he succeeded as parish priest. He worked for the Metropolitan Matrimonial Tribunal of Manila from 1964 to 1983. From 1977 to 1979, he was vicar forane of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Vicariate. He obtained his Licentiate in Canon Law, cum laude, in 1979 from the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, with his thesis entitled Those Who Practice Psychosexual Anomaly Cannot Contract A Valid Marriage. He spent some years teaching at San Carlos Seminary in Makati City and Our Lady of the Angels Seminary in Novaliches, Quezon City, and was appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Ecclesiastical District of Makati. Fr. San Diego was named parish priest of San Felipe Neri Parish in Mandaluyong City in 1981. That same year, he was named Monsignor with the dignity of Honorary Prelate by the late Pope John Paul II.

On August 10, 1983, he was consecrated bishop by the late Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani. He served as Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Palawan from 1983 to 1987, and apostolic vicar from 1987 to 1995. From 1983 to 1985, he served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Narra, Palawan. He too served as rector of Seminario de San Jose in Puerto Princesa City from 1985 to 1988.

He succeeded Most Rev. Pedro Bantigue of Laguna in 1995, becoming the second bishop of the Diocese of San Pablo. While serving the local church of Laguna, he built a new Bishop's Residence and Chancery Office in San Pablo City. Pope John Paul II appointed San Diego as first bishop of Pasig in 2003.

On December 21, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI finally accepted San Diego's retirement as Bishop of Pasig, in compliance with Canon 401, Paragraph 1 of the Code of Canon Law requiring bishops to submit their resignation upon reaching the mandatory age of 75. Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, concurrently Archbishop of Manila, was named Apostolic Administrator of the diocese. On April 20, 2011, the Pope named Most Rev. Mylo Hubert Claudio Vergara, bishop of San Jose in Nueva Ecija and a native of Pasig, as new bishop of Pasig.