QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao is mourning an extraordinary double loss after two of its priests, Fr. Michael James Ty and Fr. Edward Anthony Cometa, died on the same day — with their deaths announced only minutes apart.
Fr. Ty, 54, and Fr. Cometa, 35, died on Friday, September 11, according to reports citing the Diocese of Cubao and CBCP News. The diocese announced Fr. Ty’s death at around 3 p.m., then issued a separate announcement minutes later confirming that Fr. Cometa had also died. Both priests reportedly died at the same hospital.
No cause of death for either priest had been publicly released in the reports available as of September 13.
Cubao Bishop Elias Ayuban Jr. summed up the grief in a brief message describing it as a “day of mourning” for the diocese and invoking the image of God calling the priests “two by two.”
But the loss extends beyond the shock of two deaths in one afternoon.
Both priests occupied active roles in the life and administration of the Cubao Church — one within the diocesan leadership itself and the other across parish ministry, communications and the diocese’s synodal work.
Fr. Michael James Ty Was Part of the Diocese’s Leadership
Fr. Michael James Ty was not simply one of the priests assigned to the Diocese of Cubao.
The diocese’s official records list him as vice chancellor, making him part of the diocesan curia — the group of clergy and officials that assists the bishop in administering the local Church. He was also listed as an ex-officio member of the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors.
That position put Ty close to the institutional workings of the diocese.
The official diocesan ministries directory also lists him among the priests involved in the initial formation of seminarians, adding another dimension to his service: helping prepare future priests for ministry.
The diocese’s clergy directory identifies him with the Obispado de Cubao, or the bishop’s administrative offices.
At 54, his death therefore represents not only the loss of a priest but of someone involved in diocesan governance and formation.
Fr. Edward Anthony Cometa Was Only 35
The second announcement delivered an especially painful blow.
Fr. Edward Anthony A. Cometa was just 35 years old.
At the time of his death, the Diocese of Cubao’s official clergy directory listed him as a parochial vicar of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Project 6, Quezon City.
His ministry extended well beyond his parish assignment.
Cometa was also a member of the Cubao Social Communications Ministry, placing him among those involved in communicating the Church’s work and message to the public. He additionally served on the Cubao Synod Team, according to the diocese’s official ministries directory.
Those responsibilities made him part of two areas increasingly important to the modern Catholic Church: communicating with communities in a digital age and helping shape the diocese’s process of listening, participation and pastoral renewal.
Cometa Had Been a Priest for Just Over Six Years
Cometa’s death is particularly striking because his priestly ministry was still relatively young.
A publication of Christ the King Parish recorded that then-Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco ordained Edward Anthony Cometa and Mark Anthony Catilogo on June 13, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when attendance at the ordination was severely limited.
That means Cometa had served as an ordained priest for only a little more than six years before his death.
His ministry nevertheless touched several areas of diocesan life.
Even during the pandemic period, Cometa was involved in Catholic communications work. A 2020 Way of the Cross in the Time of Quarantine publication from the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Cubao credited him with its layout and design.
It offers a small glimpse into a priest whose contribution was not confined to celebrating Mass or parish duties but also included helping the Church communicate with worshippers during one of the most disruptive periods in recent history.
Two Announcements, Minutes Apart
The circumstances surrounding the announcements made the day particularly unusual.
According to the CBCP-linked report, the Diocese first confirmed Ty’s death at about 3 p.m. on September 11.
Then, only minutes later, another announcement came: Cometa had died as well.
The Diocese described the men as brothers in ministry and appealed to priests and the faithful to pray for them and their families.
Bombo Radyo independently reported the same sequence of events and said both priests were brought to or died at the same hospital, while stressing that no further details about the causes of their deaths had been disclosed.
That distinction matters.
With two priests dying on the same day and at the same medical facility, speculation can spread quickly online. But there is currently no verified public information establishing that the deaths were connected, and responsible reporting should not imply otherwise.
A Diocese Already in a Significant Year
The deaths came shortly after the Diocese of Cubao marked another milestone.
On August 28, 2026, the local Church celebrated the 23rd anniversary of its canonical establishment, gathering clergy, religious and lay Catholics in thanksgiving for what it described as their shared journey of communion, witness and service.
Less than two weeks later, the diocese was confronting the deaths of two members of that clergy.
That timing gives Bishop Ayuban’s words additional weight.
For a diocese built around the idea of clergy, religious and lay faithful serving together, losing two priests on the same afternoon inevitably reaches far beyond their individual assignments.
One served within diocesan administration and priestly formation.
The other was a young parish priest involved in communications and the synodal life of the Church.
Together, their deaths leave communities, colleagues and parishioners grieving two very different priestly journeys that ended on the same day.
Funeral Details Still Awaited
The Diocese initially said that details concerning the wakes, funeral rites and burials would be announced after arrangements were finalized. The early reports did not provide those schedules.
Until the Church or the families release further information, the causes of death should likewise be treated as undisclosed.
What is already clear is the scale of the loss.
The tragedy is not simply that two priests died.
It is that within minutes, the Diocese of Cubao lost a 54-year-old official helping administer and form the Church — and a 35-year-old priest whose ministry was only beginning to unfold.
For the faithful who knew them, September 11 will be remembered not simply as the day Cubao lost two priests, but as the afternoon two very different generations of ministry disappeared almost at once.
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