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The Diocese of San Jose lies in the
Northern part of Nueva Ecija evangelized by the Agustinian missionaries, Nueva
Ecija was created as a province in 1705 by Spanish Governor Fausto Cruzal. The
name of the province is attributed to Governor Cruzal, who chose this name
after his hometown Ecija in Seville, Spain.
The Franciscan Fathers took over from the Agustinians and continued the work of evangelization. Later on, the diocesan clergy, helped by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, carried on the apostolate.
The Diocese of San Jose is located approximately 160 kms. north of Manila. It is bounded by the Sierra Madre mountains in the east and the Caraballo Mountain ranges in the north.
The people of San Jose are mostly tenant-farmers. Population is around 578,643. Agricultural in nature, the diocese's major source of income come from producing rice, corn, sugar cane, coconut, mongo, onions, fruits and vegetables.
The Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija, was created on February 16, 1984 by Pope John Paul II and canonically erected on July 14, 1984. Its territory was taken from the Diocese of Cabanatuan which at the same time of the division comprised the entire province of Nueva Ecija.
Sixteen parishes, out of 41 parishes of the Diocese of Cabanatuan were adjudicated to the Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija. Eighty percent of the people are Roman Catholics and the rest of 20% are distributed into different sects and denominations.
The Most Rev. Florentino F. Cinense, DD, was appointed its first residential bishop on July 14,1984. When appointed co-adjutor bishop of Tarlac, he remained as Apostolic Administrator of San Jose, until the appointment of his successor the Most Rev. Leo M. Drona, SDB, DD, on July 25,1987. Bishop Leo M. Drona had been a Salesian of Don Bosco for twenty nine-years prior to his Episcopal appointment. He is the first Filipino Salesian priest as well as the first Filipino Salesian Bishop. In June 2004, Bishop Drona was transferred to the Diocese of San Pablo, Laguna as its third bishop. He was succeeded by the Most Rev. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara who was installed as the third bishop of the Diocese of San Jose de Nueva Ecija on May 14, 2005.