Fr. Arthur Yabes was born in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines on November 4, 1960, to Alexander and Norma (Pimentel) Yabes of Bauang, La Union. The eldest of 8 children (4 brothers, 3 sisters), he grew up in three rural parishes in the Ilocos Region in Northern Philippines. He attended the St. Augustine grade school in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur under the CICM missionaries.

With encouragement from his parents, family, grade school teachers and priests, Father Yabes entered the high school program of Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City, Philippines in June 1973. After completing high school, he continued for college. In March 1982, Father Yabes graduated with his AB degree with major in Philosophy.

He continued his theological education at the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City, Philippines. He earned an STB (Bachelor of Sacred Theology) degree in 1986 and in 1987 served his transitional deacon internship at Sacred Heart Parish of Gloria, Oriental Mindoro in the Diocese of Calapan.

Father Yabes was ordained to the priesthood in the Society of the Divine Word on October 17, 1987 at St. William’s Cathedral Church by Bishop Salvador Lazo. His first assignment as a priest was as associate pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Luba-Abra, Philippines (Diocese of Bangued). He became the Parish Administrator in 1989. Later, he was assigned as chaplain-campus minister of Don Mariano Marcos State University in the Diocese of La Union and as associate pastor in St. Lawrence Parish in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines (Diocese of Laoag).

After a year of parish work, Father Yabes was sent to his first foreign mission assignment in Misiones, Argentina where he worked for a couple of years. He worked in the parishes of Campo Grande and 25 de Mayo in the Diocese of Posadas.

In 1996, he came to the United Sates and worked in the Parish of St. Maria Goretti. He was appointed parochial vicar of that large multi-cultural parish of 7000 families. Subsequently, he also worked in the parishes of St. John Vianney and St. Francis of Assisi in San Jose.

In the summer of 2004, Father Yabes was appointed pastor of St. Cyprian Parish in Sunnyvale, California. On October 3rd, 2004 Father Yabes was installed the 8th Pastor of St. Cyprian. He was given responsibility for the pastoral needs of one of the smallest parishes in the Silicon Valley.

In the Diocese of San Jose, Father Yabes has also served on the Implementation Fund Committee for the Diocesan Pastoral Plan and currently is a member of the Filipino Priests of San Jose.