Archbishop José Araneta Cabantan

Archbishop José Araneta Cabantan, Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, was born on June 19, 1957, in Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental, in the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. He completed his secondary studies at Saint John the Baptist High School in Lagonglong, and subsequently obtained a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Cebu Institute of Technology in Cebu City, a master's degree in pastoral ministry from St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro, and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Loyola School of Theology in Manila. He was ordained a priest for Cagayan de Oro on April 30, 1990, in Lagonglong. After a year as assistant parish priest at the cathedral, he was administrator of San Roque parish in Catarman, Camiguin (1991-1995), and dean of studies at San Jose de Mindanao Seminary in Cagayan de Oro (1995-1997). After three years of study at the Loyola School of Theology and a year as director of San Jose Seminary in Quezon City, he served as formator at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro (2000-2007) and as parish priest of Medalla Milagrosa parish in Cagayan de Oro (2007-2010). On February 18, 2010, he was appointed Bishop of Malaybalay. He received episcopal ordination on April 30, 2010, at Cagayan de Oro, with Edward Joseph Adams as principal consecrator and Antonio Javellana Ledesma and Honesto Chaves Pacana as co-consecrators, and he was installed on May 15, 2010. On June 23, 2020, he was appointed Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, and he was installed on August 28, 2020. Within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines he was elected chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Basic Ecclesial Communities.