Histories, including the good and
bad events, are meant to be kept and to be treasured. They are there to remind
us of beauty of life and inspire us to seek it more fully. They are there to
serve as guideposts in our journey forward as well as milestones of our past.
They are there to uplift us in moments of unhappiness, to anchor u in times of
uncertainties, and to spur us to greater heights.
History are meant to be kept
alive and burning that is why the Our Lady of Manaoag Formation Community have
chosen Evangelization and Church History of Pangasinan as this year
topic for their educational tour.
Before we go to the history of
Pangasinan, let us try first to refresh our memories of what evangelization
means. The term evangelization has a very rich meaning. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church defines evangelization as the proclamation of Christ and His
Gospel by word and the testimony of life, in fulfillment of Christ’s command.[1]
Evangelization means bringing the good news of Jesus into every human situation
and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the
Gospel itself.
Evangelization sums up the
Church’s entire mission: her whole life consists in accomplishing the
proclamation and handing on of the Gospel, which is “the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16) and which, in the final essence,
is identified with Jesus Christ himself (cf. 1 Cor 1:24). Understood in this
way, evangelization is aimed at all of humanity. In any case, to evangelize
does not mean simply to teach a doctrine, but to proclaim Jesus Christ by one’s
words and actions, that is, to make oneself an instrument of his presence and
action in the world.
The object of Catholic
evangelization is conversion to Jesus Christ in and through the Church. The
Gospel is the good news of salvation in and through Jesus. For us, it is
the evangelization message that we are called to proclaim and to witness.
Let us now then see the history
of how the province of Pangasinan was evangelized and later on her growth
having three dioceses.
II. History of Pangasinan
After the Spanish regime, Luzon
was divided into several provinces. Pangasinan was one of those pioneering
provinces in Luzon; along with it were Pampanga, Ylocos, Cagayan, Camirines, La
Laguna, Bombon y Balayan, and of course Manila, the capital of
Philippines.
Etymologically, Pangasinan means
“a place of salt” or a place where salt is made. The root word is “asin”
and the prefix “pang” and “an” form the word for the place of salt. Pangasinan
was the name given because its topography is near the coastal areas of the
north-eastern part of the country. Such kind of natural resources gave the natives
the avenue to develop an industry of salt making which subsequently became well
known throughout the neighboring regions and provinces because of the good
quality of salt they produce.
Pangasinan was actually not the
sole and original name of the province. Such name only existed after the
Spaniards discovered the product and considered it as one of the goods in trade
industries for domestic or international.
Before the Spaniards came the
province was also known as Caboloan, which is derived from the
word bolo which is special specie of bamboo. Caboloan means a
place where bamboos are found. The central part of Pangasinan is rich in
producing bamboos. Bolo are not just the ordinary kawayan that
may be found anywhere in the contry. It is thin and light – very much apt for
weaving baskets, sawali and bilao. However, the name Caboloan, as the
name of the provinces, was no longer used when bolos all over the region
came to extinction.
Pangasinan, as the name of the
province, is also the name of the dialect spoken by the natives who dwells
therein. As to the people living in Pangasinan, they are called Pangasinense.
Pangasinan (as a dialect) belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian languages (the
language of Malays). The alphabets of Pangasinan carry some parallelism to that
of Tagalog, which also originated in the Malayan language. Pangasinan has only
three vowels, viz.: A, E-I, O-U; and twelve consonants, viz.: B, D, G, H, K, L,
M, N, P, S, T and V.[2]
Originally, the jurisdiction of
Pangasinan included Zambales and La Union, thus having an area of 11, 253.63
square kilometres. But in 1878, when La Union and Zambales became independent
from Pangasinan, the province’s jurisdiction deduced to 5,368.18 square
kilometres. Looking into the topography of the province, the terrain can be
classified into three types: 1) the vast plains of the central portion; 2) the
swamp or coastal areas in the west; and 3) the mountainous part in the in the
east near the Cordillera.[3]
Pangasinan was founded by the
Austronesian civilization that wandered in the countries of Southeast Asia.
Austronesians called themselves Anakbanua, meaning “child of banua.”
Banua is an Austronesian concept that could mean territory, homeland,
society, civilization or cosmos.[4]
They established their settlements along the Agno River and the Lingayen Gulf
which were the center of trade industries to other tribes from different
countries.
Anthropologists point out that Pangasinenses
come from the lines of Malays who belong to the Austronesian civilization
that settled in Southeast Asia. The Malays are classified as a branch of the
Mongoloid race: brown-skinned, short, inclined to round-headedness, and have
smooth skins.
A Dominican missionary named Fr.
Colin, affirms that Pangasinenses are classified as one of the most civilized
provinces in the early times of Luzon since that it was learned that the
Tagalogs in central Luzon and the Pangasinenses have the same racial stock –
the Malays. Thus, the Pangasinenses did not have much difficulty in economic exchanges
with the Tagalogs who were better-off than other provinces in Luzon. Most of
those in the central plains of Pangasinan are ancestors of Tagalogs and some
Pampangos.
According to
missionary-historians, the natives of Pangasinan also had its social classes
like that of the Hindu Caste System. The natives are divided into three
classes, viz.: the pangolo (or the anacbanuas), the
highest rank; the timaoa, the middle rank and the aripuen class
composing the servile rank.[5]
Those in the rank of pangolos are usually the anacbanua who were
believed to be the pioneers of the Pangasinan race. The class of anacbanuas constituted
a council of elders for the whole community or baley.
Among all these ancbnuas the
elders choose the sovereign pangolo who is actually the primus inter
pares since the leadership had already been institutionalized by the
council leaders. Again, this societal system is another norm similar to that of
the Tagalogs’ social classes, viz: dato,maharlika, aliping namamahay,and
aliping saguiguilid.
This social class
radically affect the customs and legislations of the natives. For example, in
their marriage customs one cannot marry those belonging to the higher ranks. If
so, the groom should first exhibit bravery in battles and give amounts of
bride-price dependent upon the rank of the bride. However, grooms need not to
give bride-price to those belonging to the lower rank.
Another awe-striking custom of
the Pangasinenses is the burial practices. They also believed in the
life after death. On the grave of the dead, the natives placed material
possessions like food for his voyage, oil to anoint him, clothes to wear,
and gold to pay the banquero who would carry him through a river to the
next world.[6]
Moreover, if the dead belongs to the high ranks of the society, one or two
slaves were buried with him to serve him in the next world.
The families of the dead also
practice a period of mourning. This mourning was marked by fasting and
abstinence from rice, wine, meat and fish. They are only allowed to take in
fruits and water. As to their traditional mourning attire, they wear gold
chains or a piece of rattan around their neck. At the end of their mourning
period, it was necessary that the family kill a person, often a slave, or more
appropriately their enemies be it a woman, a child, or an old man. Great feast
is also served where food and drinks are without limits.
The religious practices of the
Pangasinan folks were like that of all the Filipinos, the Pangasinenses believed
in environmental-sprits, and a hierarchy of deities led by a ranking deity, not
a supreme deity, for each had specific and some independent functions.[7]
The term for their ranking deity was Ama-Gaoley, their highest idol, or “Apolaqui,
to whom they prayed when they go on a voyage, a journey or a business.[8]
The environmental deities were called Anitos, and these deities are
either good or bad depending on the natives experience of them in their daily
life. All hardships, bad moments, illnesses and deaths were all attributed to
the bad anitos; whereas all the good happenings were to the good anitos.
The natives believe that the deities control the weather, the success of
the harvest and some other phenomena in man’s life.
Consequently, when
these deities were not given due respect; if food and drink are not given to
them in rituals, these deities would get offended and will cause illnesses and
misfortunes to the natives. To find the favour of the deities, the natives also
wore charms all over their bodies. These charms were intended to protect them
from illness, evil spirits or to whatever threats of death.
The religious functionaries were
women. They were called managanito.[9] The natives seek her assistance to interpret dreams
and omens. They also help on making decisions favourable to the deities, for
example, in marriages, harvests, journeys, hunts and wars.
Spanish conquest and colonization
began in 1571 under Martin de Goiti, who conquered the entire terrains of the
Luzon. A year later, Juan de Salcedo sailed up the western coast and landed at
the mouth of the Agno River. Both of them ruled Pangasinan and the neighbouring
provinces, viz.: Zambales, Pampanga and Ilocos. This time, it was no longer the
pangolos or the anacbanuas that rule the province.
The province had been under the
system of encomienda of Spain through Gaoiti and Salcedo. In 1574, this
Spanish rule was threatened by an invasion of a Chinese pirate named Limahong.
At that time, Goiti died while defending Manila from some other foreign
invaders. Thus Lavezaris a soldier of Goiti needed to ask the help of Salcedo
from Vigan to lead the defence of Pangasinan against Limahong. In August 4,
1575, Salcedo was able to exile Limahong from the Pangasinan. Limahong chose to
leave and try his luck on other shores.[10]
This advent of the
Spanish conquest in the lands of Pangasinan brought about a lot of
breakthroughs in the social structure of the natives. One change they
encountered was the reorganization of the natives’ society. This time, the
Spaniards introduced the village systems where native families begin to live in
clusters in a certain poblacion. The choice of site for the poblacion
was made by the Spanish friars. Usually, poblacion was the place where the
Church was built.
Another significant
breakthrough the natives encounter was the abolition of slavery. Spain
guaranteed the servile classes to be afforded with freedom and the property of
rights in the society.
In 1580, the first
missionaries arrived in Pangasinan. Binalatongan (now San Carlos City) was the
chosen site which friars made as the poblacion. It was in this poblacion that
the Dominicans started their first missionary efforts. The missionaries had
difficulty evangelizing the natives because of the fact that the natives were
very attached to their own customs and beliefs. They were zealous in defending
their customs and beliefs because they were afraid of losing their liberty once
they joined the religion introduced by the aliens. It took the Spaniards three
years to administer their first baptism among the natives. In 1611, Pangasinan
became a Spanish colonial province, comprising the territories of Zambales and
some areas of La Union and Tarlac.
When the Spaniards
came in Pangasinan, it was discovered that there were 4,000 natives living in
the province. But at the end of Spanish regime, there were said to be more than
10,000 natives who got baptized to the Christian religion.
The poblacion system was
an adoption of the European structure of social locus. When this system was
introduced, paying taxes was also imposed which led to an unjust collection of
taxes among the natives. Aside from that, the natives were also made to work in
the construction of church and some other infrastructure like roads and
residences of the Spaniards without being paid for the labor.
In Binalatongan,
which was the first poblacion in Pangasinan, Andres Malong, who was one of the
oppressed laborers, was the chief of the natives. He knew that his fellow
natives were really discontented with the rule of the foreigners. Thus, in
1660, Malong gathered all the oppressed natives and planned a rebel against the
Spaniards. Their assault started by burning the church in Binalatongan.
The movement became
stronger when Malong mustered 40,000 troops from some other allies from
Pampanga, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley. In this revolt, Don Francisco Pulido, the
Alcalde of Pangasinan, and his wife was murdered. Subsequently, Malong, upon
killing the alcalde, proclaimed himself as the Ari Pangasinan (King of Pangasinan).
On the same year, Andres Malong wanted to extend his kingdom to Ilocos and
Pampanga. He sent able generals to conquer the region, threatening the Spanish
government over the areas. Malong’s army was expelled in the end by the raging
reinforcement of the Spanish government.
In 1762, another Pangasinense
leader, Juan de la Cruz Palaris rebelled against the Spanish imposition of the
tribute. It was a two-year revolt against the Spaniards. Like that of the
Malong Revolt, Palaris’ was another attempt to overthrow the Spaniards from
Pangasinan. It could have been an opportune time to assault the Spanish
Colonials since they were busy in their war against Britain. But in 1763, that
war of Spain against Britain ended through the Treaty of Paris. Thus, the
Spanish colonial forces went back to the Philippines and executed their counter
to the revolt of the natives. On January 16, 1765, Juan de la Cruz Palaris was
captured and Pangasinan independence was again lost.[11]
Today, the population
of Pangasinan is 2,434,086. Pangasinan is the third most populated province in
the Philippines.[12]
III. THE ARCHDIOCESE AND DIOCESES
OF PANGASINAN
A Diocese is a portion of the
people of God which is entrusted for pastoral care to a bishop with the
cooperation of the presbyterate so that, adhering to its pastor and
gathered by him in the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the Eucharist, it
constitutes a particular church which the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church of Christ is truly present and operative. (Canon 369)
This canon which is derived from
the Vatican II document Christus Dominus, the Decree on Pastoral Ministry of
the Bishops in the Church, vividly describes to us the notion of the diocese.
Firstly, the diocese is not preliminary a division of the Universal Church but
rather a community of the baptized confessing the faith, sharing in the sacramental
life, and entrusted to the ministry of the Bishop.
Secondly, the portion of the
people of God is entrusted to the Bishop as the visible principle and
foundation of its unity. He is the ordinary, proper, and immediate pastor of
the church entrusted to him. He governs and represents the Universal Church,
and these are present through the preaching of the Gospel and the celebration
of the sacraments mediated by the Bishop.
Thirdly, despite this preeminent
status, the bishop does not function as an isolated figure in the pastoral
ministry. Somewhat comparable to his relationship to his brother bishops in the
College of Bishops, he functions with his fellow presbyters in a hierarchically
structured exercise of the priestly, teaching and pastoral ministry of the
Lord. The collaborative efforts of the Bishop and presbyters are geared to
fostering the union of the faithful with Lord in such a way that the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church is truly active and present in the diocese.
As a rule, that portion of the
people of God which constitutes a diocese is limited to a definite territory so
that it comprises all the faithful who inhabit that territory (Canon 371, 1).
This provision of canon law states that normally, a particular church is territorially
established, i.e., those Christians living in a precisely defined area formed
into a community whose spiritual head is the Bishop. Thus, the individual
Christian is given his own pastor.
In 1579, the first diocese in the
Philippines, that of Manila, was created. This diocese then encompassed the
whole country.
In 1595, Manila was elevated into
an archdiocese and three suffragan dioceses were created, namely, Nueva Segovia
(erected first at Lal-lo, Cagayan and transferred to Vigan, Ilocos Sur in 1758)
Caceres in Naga, Camarines Sur, and Cebu.
In 1928, the Diocese of Lingayen
was created. It became Lingayen-Dagupan when the Episcopal See was transferred
to Dagupan City. The diocese then comprised the whole civil province of
Pangasinan, several towns of Zambales, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. When the Diocese
was elevated to an archdiocese in 1963, it comprised the whole Pangasinan only.
Then in 1985, the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan was partitioned into three ecclesiastical jurisdictions:
Lingayen-Dagupan as the mother archdiocese, and Alaminos and Urdaneta as its
daughter dioceses.
A. HISTORY OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF
LINGAYEN-DAGUPAN
The first Spanish expedition to
Pangasinan was made by Maestre de Campo Martin de Goiti. That was in the year 1571.
After that year, there was again an expedition by Capitan Juan de Salcedo. The
motivation of this expedition was a hot military pursuit of Limahong. Limahong
was a Chinese corsair who attempted to conquer Manila but failed; so, he went
to Salasa, Pangasinan to hide and establish his own kingdom there.
Capitan Salcedo did not want this
tyranny to happen. So, he planned an attack against Limahong. Augustinian
missionaries joined Capitan Salcedo’s expedition. The Augustinians were the
first wave of apostles who tried to evangelize the land, notably Martin de Rada
and Pedro Holgado. They even built a small chapel in Labrador where the people
had no religion but paganism. The natives were addicted to idolatry and
superstitious beliefs. They did not want to give in to the preaching of the
Augustinians. So, they left Pangasinan and headed towards Ilocos Norte.
After the Augustinians came some
Fransiscan Friars, particularly Fr. Juan Bautista Pisaro and Sebastian de
Baeza. They also attempted to evangelize the province. Yet, just like their
predecessors Augustinians, they also found Pangasinan unrelenting and fierce.
It is to the Dominicans whom
Pangasinan owes her evangelization and conversion. The Dominicans arrived in
the province in September 1587 and stayed until the early years of the
Revolution in 1898. However, it was not an easy and swift task for them. Just
like their other predecessors, they also experienced the same resistance that
the natives had showed.
The Dominicans did not give up.
The fire in their hearts which has always been a characteristic of their
founder, St. Dominic, was never dampened but even all the more blazed with
passion in service and evangelization. Indeed, their efforts were not put into
waste. The first Dominican missionaries who came to Pangasinan were Fathers
Bernardo de Santa Catalina (who acted as the superior of the small group),
Gregorio Ochoa, Juan de Castro; Pedro de Soto, Marcos de San Antonio and Juan
de la Cruz.
After three years of birth pains,
the constant prayer and good example set by the friars converted a small group
of men which later on swelled into a mass conversion of people who rushed to
the redeeming waters of baptism. By the year 1612, they were already at least
10,000 baptized Christians in Pangasinan. From then started the founding of
more parishes in the land.
The process of evangelization
went on for almost four centuries, the Christian community in the provinces
continued to grow and to flourish. In 1898, when the Dominicans gave up the
work of the church in Pangasinan there were 293,111 souls under the care of 35
priests distributed over 29 towns. All of these parishes were under the Diocese
of Nueva Segovia who had jurisdiction over the whole of Northern Luzon. On May
19, 1928, the Diocese of Lingayen (comprising the whole civil province of
Pangasinan, 11 towns of Tarlac and 10 towns of Nueva Ecija, and 3 towns of
Zambales) was separated from the mother diocese.
Most Rev. Cesar Maria Guerrero
was the first bishop of the new diocese. He was shortly followed by the Most
Rev. Mariano Madriaga. Since 1928, the Episcopal seat was Lingayen; but, it has
to be moved to Dagupan on May 11, 1954 because of the destruction wrought by
World War II. Thus, the Diocese of Lingayen was renamed Diocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan. Nevertheless, Lingayen remained co-cathedral.
On February 16, 1963, Pope
Paul VI reconstituted the Diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan into an Archdiocese
comprising the whole civil province of Pangasinan. The towns from Tarlac and
Nueva Ecija were returned to their respective civil provinces to form two
independent dioceses each as suffragan of the new Metropolitan See.
Most Rev. Cesar Maria Guerrero
was the first bishop of the Archdiocese. Msgr. Madriaga, the one who succeeded,
served the Archdiocese for more than 35 years. He was followed by the Most Rev.
Federico Limon.
Most Rev. Oscar V. Cruz, JCD
continued the work of Most Rev. Limon for 18 years. Bishop Renato P. Mayugba
was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on Oct. 18, 2005. His
Episcopal ordination was on Dec. 27, 2005.
On September 8, 2009, the current
Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, DD was installed.
Stating again from the history of
Pangasinan, we have known that in 1898, when the Dominicans gave up the work of
the church in Pangasinan there were 293,111 souls under the care of 35 priests
distributed over 29 towns.
In the statistics in the year
1985 during the synod, it is said that the territory of the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan was made up of 2 cities and 15 municipalities. The population
is about 775,300 with approximately 693,100 Catholics in an area of 1,176.15
sq. kms.
Now, the Archdiocese is comprised
of 2 cities and 15 municipalities in the central part of Pangasinan. It serves
as the metropolitan diocese of the nearby dioceses namely: Alaminos,
Cabanatuan, San Fernando (La Union), San Jose (Nueva Ecija) and Urdaneta. The
population now is 1,215,000. The Catholics are 1,002,500 in area of 1,565 sq.
km.
In the history, it is said that
the Dominicans Arrive in the province in September 1587, they established
themselves in Binalatongan where they were first accommodated in a humble but
"made of branches and leaves" which the then Spanish encomendero of
Binalatongan named Jimenez del Pino had provided them.
The other parishes were Gabon
(now Calasiao) in 1588; Mangaldan in 1600; Manaoag in 1608; Lingayen in 1614;
Bayambang in 1619; Binmaley in 1627; San Jacinto in 1643; Malasique in 1677;
San Bartalome de Agno in 1688; Asingan in 1698; San Fabian in 1718; Salasa in
1720; Maliong-liong in 1739; Santa Barbara in 1743; Labrador in 1755;
Pandayocan (now Villasis) in 1763; Aguilar in 1810; Mangatarem in 1837; Sual in
1837, Binalonan in 1841; Tayug in 1841; San Nicolas in 1849; Urbiztundo in
1855; Urdaneta in 1863; San Manuel in 1878; Pozorrubio in 1881; Alcala in 1881;
Santa Maria in 1890 and Alava (now Sison) in 1896.
The western towns of Pangasinan
which formed a part of the Zambales mission were administered by the
Augustinian Recollects. Already from 1609, we could trace: their missionary
activities in Bolinao, Alaminos, Bani; Dasol; Anda, Burgos, and Infanta
respectively according to the date of their founding.
ASSEMBLIES, PASTORAL PLAN
We cannot just forget the Synod
and the Pastoral and Administrative Documents of the Archdiocese which have
served as pillars of our house in guiding and directing its mission as a
church. The synod of the archdiocese was convoked and presided over by his
Excellency Most Rev. Frederico G. Limon, SVD, DD from July 13 to December 7,
1985. The purposes of the synod are: 1) adaptation of the laws and norms of
the universal church to local conditions, 2) to point out the policy and
program of apostolic work in the Archdiocese, 3) to resolve problems in the
apostolates and administrations, 4) to give impetus to projects and
undertakings, 5) to correct errors in doctrine and morals if any have crept in.
After the synod came the
Archdiocesan Pastoral Assembly which tries to renew and promote the ministry of
the clergy, the apostolate of the laity, the formation of basic ecclesial
communities all over the Archdiocese. The Pastoral Assembly was held from
November to December, 1968 for four Saturdays. There were more than 200 participants
to the assembly. They came by representation from the following nine sectors:
Parishes and Chaplaincies, Catholic Schools and Seminaries, Archdiocesan
Organizations and Movements, Religious Sisters and Clergy, and the Youth.
Just like any other house, there
are inevitable damages, corrosion, and destruction that happen. Our Archdiocese
has also experienced such. That is why there are restorations, refurbishing,
and remodeling that have been made in order for the faithful to always feel at
home. But, the pillars and foundations are still the same. One of the
reconstructions is the vision-mission of the Archdiocese.
The vision-mission of
the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan is summarized in the acrostics ICTHUS.
ICTHUS is the Greek word of fish. The fish is very close to the heart of Pangasinenses
because it is the main livelihood of the place; and at the same time, it has
also become a trademark of the province, whenever one says Pangasinan, the
first thing that comes into mind of the people is fish especially bangs.
The fish too is also a symbol of
Christianity for the early Christians. The early Christians were persecuted
because of their Christian faith. This was the reason why they could not
profess their faith in public, so they celebrated their liturgy in catacombs.
They also needed a cryptic image which will symbolize the Christian faith – the
fish, the ICTHUS.
I - Integration of Faith and Life
There has really been a gap
between the faith and the moral life of Catholics nowadays. Thus, there is a
need to encourage once again the people to be involved in socio-political,
socio-economic, socio-ecological institutions, offices and ministries,
especially family involvement in the church. This is to attain a renewed and
mature personal life in the context of stewardship spirituality
Adults and students alike are the
focus a coordinated comprehensive systematic continuous sustained and updated
catechetical program. There is also a concern on the formation and support of
volunteer catechists.
The Eucharist is still the source
and summit of Christian spirituality where the perfect act of thanksgiving made
by Jesus Christ is present again. Hence, there must be a Eucharistic
spirituality that is truly inculturated and biblically based and socially
engaged which is actively promoted, deepened and sustained.
This is a call for the use of all
social and ecclesial initiatives that promote communio among
the laity, religious and clergy on the parish, vicariate, and archdiocesan
levels in the context of the Archdiocese’s vision-mission: the ICTHUS. This is
to make sure that there is a constant renewal of the people’s desire to achieve
this vision-mission.
S - Service, Justice, and Charity
It was Most Rev. Oscar V. Cruz,
Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese who promulgated the commission or the
movement named Caritas. The mission of the Caritas is to extend
the help of the church towards the people especially the marginalized through
medical and dental outreach, housing assistance, livelihood and micro
financing, educational scholarship programs, and social advocacies. This Caritas
must be intensified and emphasized.
Such is the vision-mission of the
Archdiocese, truly very ideal and promising; but, this would all be useless if
it is not translated in action. The Archdiocese needs to walk the talk or else
they would just like be the hypocrites who knew very well the Law but did not
practice it in their lives. So, there are actual and concrete programs and
spirituality that are now observed in the Archdiocese.
The renewal of priests is one the
most significant and crucial moves of the Archdiocese since Most Rev. Villegas
was installed as Archbishop. If the church wish to convert her sheep, she must
first of all start with the shepherds. Conversion starts in the clergy.
Conversion starts in the seminary. This is the reason why aside from the
monthly meetings, recollections, and annual retreat, the priests of the
Archdiocese undergo a thirty-day retreat individually to renew their commitment
in following Christ and serving the people.
The Archbishop has also shown his
love for the seminarians by constantly repeating that the seminary is the heart
of the Archdiocese; thus, the seminarians are in the heart of the Archbishop.
During summer vacations, seminarians undergo intensive and special seminars
just like team-building, homiletics course, advanced leadership program,
efficiency in the English language and communication skills, seminars on prayer
and spirituality. During summer apostolate, seminarians no longer stay in the
Parish convent but immerse themselves in far-flung places.
One of the highlights and at the
same time the legacy of the celebration of the golden anniversary of the
Archdiocese is the establishment of the theology seminary in Palapad, San
Fabian. “We need to form priests from Pangasinan, for Pangasinan, in the
culture of Pangasinan. We need to form priest with the clergy of Pangasinan, among
the people of Pangasinan,” these were the very words of the Archbishop.
Everyone is called to take part in the building of the theology seminary
especially now that the spirituality of stewardship is introduced to the
Archdiocese.
Last 2011, for four consecutive
Sundays of the Lenten season, Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas introduced to the
Archdiocese the spirituality of stewardship through his pastoral letters.
In one of his reflections he
said: The spirituality of stewardship is not new. It is based on many biblical
traditions but we want to inject a new perspective to our stewardship in the
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan—primarily, that we are all stewards of the
earth because we are all created by God; secondly, that we are all stewards of
spiritual gifts on account of our Christian baptism and lastly; that generous,
cheerful and humble stewardship can make us holy.
Stewardship calls us to
conversion. We are not owners. We are tenants and stewards. Stewardship calls
on us to share our blessings, our lives and our resources at the service of the
mission of Christ. Through our stewardship of time, talent and treasure, may
others be led to spiritual maturity and abiding loyalty to the Church.
THE PHASE-OUT OF THE ARANCEL
SYSTEM
In line with the spirituality of
stewardship, the Archdiocese is phasing out the fixed offerings for the
celebration of the sacraments and sacramentals. The Archbishop continues to
explain that the spirit of stewardship finds its meaning in fulfillment in sharing,
generosity, and love. This new spirituality changes one’s understanding of the
Church from being a stone building or a service agency to a community of
disciples called by Jesus: the Church as a communio. This must liberate
one’s religious experiences from individualism and narrow mindedness.
Under the vision of Catechism,
the Archbishop is now heading a basic catechism program for adults of which the
Archbishop himself is the speaker and teacher. Each parish must send at least 8
competent and potential catechists to attend this free program. These leaders
now become leaders of their parishes who have the task to share and evangelize
what they have known.
CORRECTIONS IN THE LITURGY
In consonance with the vision of
the Archdiocese under Thanksgiving, there have been a lot of changes and
corrections in the practices of the extraordinary ministers of communion,
lectors, and commentators. Some of these are: the introduction and petitions in
the mass, only the baptismal names without any title or surname of the
petitions are announced, the extraordinary ministers have a formula to follow
in giving Holy Communion to the sick members of the community, the new
responses in the mass are also gradually being observed.
B. THE HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE OF
URDANETA
The Diocese of Urdaneta was
created and erected on January 12, 1985, and its first Bishop, the Most
Reverend Pedro G. Magugat, MSC, D.D. took possession and was installed as its
Bishop on June 29, 1985. On May 5, 1990, the Diocese became vacant with the
untimely death of Bishop Magugat. The second Bishop, the Most Reverend Jesus C.
Galang, D.D. took over the Diocese and was installed as its Bishop on February
9, 1982 until his untimely demise on September 16, 2004. Then came the
appointment of Most Reverend Jacinto A. Jose, D.D. as the third bishop of
the diocese. He was installed as its Bishop on December 31, 2005.
The Diocese of
Urdaneta is made up of 17 municipalities in the Eastern part of Pangasinan. To
date there are 25 Parishes.
The Roman Catholic of Urdaneta
used to be part of the Diocese of Lingayen which was erected on May 19, 1928,
comprising of the whole province of Pangasinan, 11 towns of Tarlac, 10 towns of
Nueva Ecija and 3 towns of Zambales. On February 16, 1963, the diocese was
reconstituted into an archdiocese, encompassing only the civil province of
Pangasinan, with the towns from Tarlac and Nueva Ecija being returned to their
respective civil provinces to form two independent dioceses each, suffragans of
the new Metropolitan See of Lingayen-Dagupan.
On January 12, 1985, His
Holiness, Pope John Paul II, by the virtue of the papal Bull, NON RARO
CATHOLICORUM, erected the Diocese of Urdaneta, detaching it from the
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. The clergy and the laity in the affected
portions were at first adamant with this new development. If they had only
their way they would like to preserve the integrity of the whole civil province
of Pangasinan as one definite portion of the people of God. However, they
eventually saw the wisdom of the Holy See in establishing a new entity even at
the pain of separating from the mother Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese at the time of
division had a total population of 1,616,905; 1,374,280 of whom are catholic
souls, spread out in a land area of 5,630.14 sq. kms. The Archdiocese was such
an immense pastureland that one shepherd would not suffice to lead the flock.
The size of the diocese territory
and the number of its inhabitant should as a general rule be such that on one
hand the bishop himself, assisted perhaps by others, is able to duly exercise
his pontifical functions and carry out his pastoral visitations in it. He
should also be in a position to control and coordinate effectively all the
apostolic activities in his diocese, and especially to know his priest and all
the religious and laymen who are involve in diocesan activities. On the other
hand, a diocese should provide a sufficient and suitable scope for the bishop
and his priests to employ usefully all their energies in the ministry, taking
into account the needs of the universal Church. (Christus Dominus 23, 2)
The territory given to this new
diocese sits on 1,616.22 sq. kms. Of the lands in eastern Pangasinan, inhabited
by 516,611 people, 81.3% of whom are Catholic faithful, distributed in 17
municipal and 4 barangay parishes which, except for 3 parishes, used to form
the vicariates V and VI of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. On April 22,
1985, the Most Rev, Pedro G. Magugat MSC, D.D., until then the Military Vicar
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was appointed as the first residential
bishop of Urdaneta.
On June 29, 1985, the decree of
erection and the decree of canonical possession by the new bishop were
executed, with the Cathedral Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Urdaneta as
the seat of the diocese.
BISHOPS, CLERGY, AND RELIGIOUS
ORDERS
The diocese started with a cash
asset of around 150,000.00 as its share from the old Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan. For a sole corporation, such as an amount is obviously beyond
imagination as to how it could start an operation. With said P 150,000.00, the
new jurisdiction had to build the Chancery office and other offices; give
subsidies to poor parishes; finance the apostolates; build a quarter for the
bishop (not to mention, the little subsidy given to him as he had no parish);
maintain personnel and offices. Without necessarily discounting the sacrifices
of many others, it is to the credit of the late Bishop Pedro G. Magugat, the
Vicar-General, Msgr. Aureliano B. Ruiz of happy memory, and Rev. Fr. Arturo
Aquino who was then the Chancellor-Economus, that the diocese was able to
survive the pangs of beginnings.
Collaborating with the Bishop
were 26 pioneering diocesan priests, 2 deacons, 2 SVD fathers, 5 Religious
sisters of St. Dominic (OP), 3 Religious Sisters of St. Catherine (OP), and 42
Religious Sisters of our very own Diocesan Religious Institutes – The workers
of Christ the Worker, founded in 1971 by the Superior General, Rev. Mo.
Deolendes Luza, WCW. Of the 26 Diocesan priests, 3 were already retired and 1
was at sickbay, which left with only 22 strong to men the 21 parishes. With 22
priests on active service ministering to 616, 611 people, the ratio was priests
per 23, 482 souls.
With a diocese
reeling under a severe shortage of ordained manpower, the death of 12 priests
within 25 years is very hunting. That is a high 44.55% mortality rate from
among the founding Fathers. As of this count, only 7 out of the 27 pioneering
Fathers, 2 of whom in a retired capacity, are still actively working in the
diocese. However, the diocese has been blessed with a steady flow of vocations
that almost every year, neo-presbyters join the ranks. To date, 32 ordinations
have been held, giving us a batting average of 1.28 ordinations per annum.
With the advent of 31 priests and
1 deacon, 6 of whom are presently out of the active list. With the present
population of our Diocese pegged at 748, 792 souls spread out in now 25
parishes, (with the creation of St. Isidore Parish in Umingan, Our Lady of
Lourdes Parish in Urdaneta, St. Raphael Parish in Binalonan, and Divine Mercy
Parish in Urdaneta), the ratio is priest per 22, 691 persons.
The death of the first Bishop,
Most Rev. Pedro G. Magugat on May 5, 1990 dealt a big blow in this new Diocese.
Just as we were gaining head way in our diocesan life, he suddenly passed away.
Among others, it created some kind of concern on the real assets of the
Diocese. The incumbent Vicar General was elected Diocesan Administrator and as
he was working hard so as to make a clear delineation of the Diocesan
properties. He, too, followed to the great beyond exactly 6 months after the
death of the Bishop – November 5, 1990. The untimely demise of two clerics, let
alone, its top two leaders in a span of six months inevitably created a
manpower as well as leadership vacuum.
The College of Consultors held
another election and the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Amado M. Lopez, HP was resurrected from
his retirement since 1987 to fill up the lacuna and steered the local church as
Diocesan Administrator for the rest of the vacancy of the See which was to last
for one year and eight months. The period of Sede Vacante was a
difficult time for the diocese. Diocesan life consisted mainly on maintaining
ecclesiastical operations as it is the provision of law not to make substantial
changes in a vacated See. It is to the credit of the laity and clergy of the
Diocese to have been able to sustain the faith and the apostolate and the whole
operation of the Diocese during those difficult times, as it was indeed a
veritable experience of our Lord’s words, “they are like sheep without a
shepherd.”
On December 7, 1991, His
Holiness, Pope John Paul II, appointed the second Bishop of Urdaneta, His Excellency
the Most Rev. Jesus C. Galang, D.D. until then the auxiliary Bishop of
Pampanga. The new Bishop was installed and took canonical possession of the
diocese of February 9, 1992. Having barely warmed his seat, he immediately
embarked on fixing the kinds in the Diocese which were a natural consequence of
the long period of sede vacante.
One of the first acts he made was
to pursue the case left behind by the first administrator, Msgr. Ruiz – the
recovery of the Diocesan assets. Bishop Galang doggedly worked on this for more
than a year and happily he was able to reach a satisfactory resolution. Not
long after, he began the construction of the Bishop’s House. Until this time,
the bishop was a tenant in the parish convent of Urdaneta. This beautiful Bishop’s
House which eventually blessed a good two years after his arrival in this
diocese, conspicuously stands at the former site of the parish convent as a
testament of the Bishop’s gift of himself to the diocese as well as the
people’s gift of themselves to their bishop. Through the vision of Bishop
Galang, henceforth the bishop who will succeed him and all the bishops who will
come and go in this diocese will have a comfortable abode they can call their
home.
The headaches of the bishop
seemed unrelenting. Immediately after recovering the assets of the diocese, he
began to wage a series of legal battles if only to protect and defend the
rights of the diocese. This concerns the agrarian case against tenants of the
land in the vicinity of the cathedral. Way back a grant from German funding
agency for the construction of the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
The request was granted but no
Pastoral Center could be constructed due to legal impediments, the resolution
of which even reached the office of the President the Republic of the
Philippines. Even before the death of the former Bishop, the case had already
been decided upon in favor of the diocese. However, the execution of the decree
could not be implemented due to legal dilatory tactics. When Bishop Galang came
in, he made a firm resolve to overcome obstacles in giving due to the diocese.
Thus, even to the brink of bodily risk, with the support of the clergy and the
laity, particularly, Congressman Amado Perez Jr. and Mayor Rodolfo Parayno of
Urdaneta, he was able to get what is rightfully due to the Diocese of Urdaneta.
On November 13, 1994, after many
months of almost violent clashes between representatives of the diocese and the
tenant and his cohorts, the cornerstone of the Diocesan Pastoral Center was
finally laid. The very next day, construction began. And today, this Diocesan
Pastoral Center (the John Paul II Pastoral Center) proudly stands as a poignant
symbol of the diocesan’s pain and glory.
ASSEMBLIES AND PASTORAL PLANS
The pastoral thrust
of this local church since its creation was the establishment of this diocese
into basic Christian communities (Basic Ecclesial Communities / BEC). However,
since the new diocese was not quite ready for this new concept of being a
church, it was rightly appraised that the utmost priority was the manpower of
both the clergy and the laity. Thus since then, the diocese marshaled all its
resources just to prepare and dispose the clergy and the lay leaders for the
enormous task of building basic ecclesial communities. Manpower development of
the clergy was geared towards the building up of a basic Christian community of
the clergy – the forming of a presbyterium, the fusion of the
sacramental bond. It was an inerrant perception that the key to success of any
diocesan endeavor is a united and cohesive clergy. The so-called BEC is but an
illusion until it begins with the presbyteral community. To achieve this, the
diocese embarked on an ambitious and massive On-Going Formation and Renewal
Program which covered the whole spectrum of clerical life: Psycho-Sexual
Development, Management skills, Spiritual Renewal, Theological Updating, Social
Awareness Programs, and Community-Building. It is significant to note that
these costly programs have no financial subsidy. Expenses incurred are
shouldered by the priests themselves: board and lodging, transportation,
honoraria or stipend of facilitators or resource speakers, an incontrovertible
evidence of the clergy’s will and desire for growth and development, as well as
it firm resolve to establish a community within itself.
Formation of the laity has always
been integrated with the establishment of the various commissions, ministries
and apostolates. Aside from the regular seminars and training sessions
conducted in their respective organizations, lay leaders undergo special
trainings in different areas of apostolate. Family life Apostolate (FLA)
workers have been sent yearly at the Center for Family Ministries at the Ateneo
de Manila University. Biblical Apostolate (BA) workers have been undergoing
formation at the John Paul I Biblical Institute.
Lay Liturgical Ministers have
been training under the auspices of the Word Alive Bible Institute.
Catechetical workers have been studying at the Stella Maris and St. Benedict
Catechetical Institute. On BEC orientation a 3-day seminar for the clergy and
lay leaders alike was conducted by Archbishop Orlando Quevedo. Again, as the
diocese is in dire financial want, the lay leaders themselves spend for the
most part for their training, - another indubitable verification of our
people’s magnanimity in making sacrifices for the local church.
On the Feast of
Christ the king, November 20, 1994, the Bishop of Urdaneta, proclaimed January
12, 1995 to January 12, 1996 as the DIOCESAN YEAR OF REVITALIZATION AND RENEWAL
to celebrate the 10th Founding Anniversary of the Diocese of Urdaneta which
aims at consolidating our gains for the last decade as well as reflecting on
our setbacks in order to make a diocese that is more attuned to the human
condition and responsive to the ecclesial needs and demands of the third
millennium.
At the launching program of the
10th anniversary celebration on the 28th January, the Most Rev. Bishop
enunciated his hope that during that one-year period, the diocese would have
been able to begin putting in place the organizations and structures, both in
the administration and in the apostolate, and come up with the concrete
pastoral vision and diocesan plan relevant to a church of the 21st century.
Responding to this call of the
Bishop, the clergy immediately underwent a 5-day seminar on Organization
Planning and Development in February 1995 in Baguio City. Thereat, plans and
programs for revitalization and renewal were mapped out, all in accordance with
the guidelines provided by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines.
As the diocese is comprised not
only of clerics but embraces the whole Christ’s Faithful, the participation of
the religious and laity was considered an imperative. Thus was born the idea of
a Diocesan Pastoral Assembly, which was to serve as the springboard for the
realization of the hopes and ideals laid out in the rationality of the 10th
anniversary program.
Right at its inception, the
problem of logistics for such an activity played a militative factor against
its fulfillment. In the end, the clergy came up with a final solution which at
the time of its proposition in February was practically rendered as a gross
impossibility – a Musical concert to be participated in by all the priests of
the diocese. In October of that same year, the Priests’ Concert, “Our Father,”
made its premiere presentation at the Divine Word College of Urdaneta. The
following month, the Diocesan Pastoral Assembly (DPA I) was convoked and was
subsequently held at the Betania Retreat House in Baguio City from November
5-10, 1995, participated in by 131 clergy, religious and lay leaders.
For 5 days, the diocese, at least
thru its duly authorized representatives, practically underwent a painful
process of self-introspection as it confronted its problem and its causes if
only to make a fairly attainable vision-mission statements, as well as
realistic goals and objectives.
In February of the next year, a
30-man DPA Core Tem underwent a so-called Organizational Planning System (OPS)
workshop for 10 days to process the inputs of DPA I, and in November, a 3-day
Diocesan Pastoral Assembly (DPA II) was convened at the Assumption Retreat
House in Baguio City to validate the output of the Core Team and thus finalize
the draft for what is to be known as the Diocesan Integrated Pastoral Plan
(DIPP). Finally, with the publish edition of the DPA documents, the Diocesan
Bishop promulgated, approved, and launched on Easter Sunday, March 30, 1997 at
the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception the Diocesan Integrated Pastoral
Plan (DIPP) and thereby mandated its full implementation in the whole Diocese.
Thence on, the parishes responded with the holding of their own Parish Pastoral
Assemblies (PPA) that by the time of general reshuffle in May, 1998, all but
one of the parishes have already gone through with PPA I.
As the diocesan pastoral programs
were gaining their momentum, Bishop Galang met an accident which eventually led
to his death on September 16, 2004. Again, the Diocese was under a period of sede
vacante for one year, three months and fourteen days. The Vicar General,
Msgr. Marlo M. Peralta, was elected by the College of Consultors as Diocesan
Administrator. He eventually became the Bishop of the Diocese of Alaminos. On
the 21st of September 2005, the Most Reverend Jacinto A. Jose, D.D., JCL, was
appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Urdaneta.
Bishop Jose took possession of the Diocese on December 31, 2005.
Apo Jack, as he is commonly
called, remarked during a homily, “A healthy clergy is a healthy diocese.”
Hence, it is observed that his initial tasks as the shepherd of the diocese
were on the wellbeing of the clergy. One of the significant manifestations of
which is the conversion of the “Bahay Kanlungan” into the “Bahay Pari”, where
ailing and retire members of the clergy can have a place and be cared for more
closely. All priests can now avail of the annual executive medical check-up
whose expenses are paid from the priest’s individual health funds that are
accumulated through a policy initiated by Apo Jack.
In order to secure
the financial stability of the priests and of the parishes, the Bishop with
some members of the clergy in the Diocese. Also, to address various issues
concerning the life and ministry of priests in the diocese, Apo Jack convoked
the Priest’s Assembly which convenes regularly, consequently strengthening also
the camaraderie and rapport of the clergy. One physical structure that
expresses this intention of Apo Jack is the Diocesan Gym, on which the priests
and lay alike can come together for tennis games, and which is also utilized as
venue for diocesan celebrations and occasions.
The Bishop likewise
promotes the pastoral thrust of the Diocese. Easter of 1997 already marked the
historic launching of the DIPP. Following the launching was the concerted
effort of the Core team to replicate the process of the DIPP at the parish
level through Pastoral Assemblies. However, the move was overtaken by some turn
of events, among others, the unsustained pursuit of direction as priests were
focused on their own parish activities, the demise of His Excellency Jesus C.
Galang, D.D. and the period of sedevacante. Through the initiative of
Bishop Jose, in February 2009, the presbyterium convened in Sta. Catalina
Convent, Baguio City for the revisiting of the DIPP. The body invited Rev. Fr.
Manny Guazon, as facilitator. At the end of the 3-day workshop, the clergy
unanimously agreed to work out on the following recommendations: (1) Creation
of a New Core Team, (2) Review of DIPP by the Core Team, (3) Review of DIPP
with the Lay, and (4) Parish Pastoral Assemblies (PPA).
On the occasion of
the 24th anniversary of the Diocese, Bishop Jacinto A. Jose, D.D., declared
2009 as “Year of Renewal.” The impetus was the review composed of
representatives from the 3 Vicariates. Each Vicariate was composed of 3
priests, 4 lay leaders and one youth representative, and 2 representatives from
the seminarians. The ex-officio members were the Bishop and the Vicar General.
The initial meeting of the group
was held on June 7, 2009 at John Paul II Pastoral Center, Urdaneta City. It was
convened and presided over by Bishop Jose. The review of DIPP was conducted on
August 10-14, 2009 at John Paul II Pastoral Center, Urdaneta City. Again, Rev. Fr.
Manny Guazon of the Archdiocese of Lipa was invited as moderator. At the end of
the five-day workshop a nine-man drafting committee was organized to make the
revision edition of the DIPP.
The Revised Diocesan Integrated
Pastoral Plan was launched on February 28, 2010 as part of the yearlong
celebration of the silver Jubilee Year of the Diocese of Urdaneta. The new core
group replicated the Revised DIPP to all the parishes, and the process of which
was divided into four phases: (1) Orientation Phase, (2) Catechetical Phase,
(3) Planning Phase, (4) Evaluation Phase. The parishes are now in the process
of formulating their own Parish Pastoral Plans that are patterned after the
Revised DIPP.
Another concentration
of the Bishop is to further develop the catholic schools in the diocese. The
Diocesan Schools of Urdaneta (DSU) offer quality education imbued with
Christian values and praxis, and are agents of evangelization to the students
in its additional subjects of Christian Living Education which deals with the
Catholic religion and teachings.
The former parochial schools are
now referred to as Diocesan Schools of Urdaneta due to the fact that their
administration and management are centralized. With a group of select clerics
and lay people, the Bishop undertakes a top-down reorganizing of the Diocesan
Schools’ staff and personnel and the introduction of new administrative and
fiscal systems. At present, there are 12 educational institutions under the
direct supervision of the Diocese.
With the recent
centralization of the DSU, a closer administration responsive to the needs of
the schools and her personnel in the fields of close supervision, quality
education, faculty development, and financial viability are the programs for
the future.
In barely six years after the
Most Rev. Jacinto A. Jose, D.D. took over as Diocesan Bishop, many changes have
taken place in the Diocese. Some of these are not merely physical in nature but
more of attitudinal, behavioral and spiritual in character. The more significant
aspects are the following:
The impetus to
continue and pursue the DIPP with the reaffirmation of the Vision-Mission of
the Diocese as stipulated in the 1997 DIPP.
The sustained desire
for growth among the clergy towards a harmonious relationship.
The renewed interest
towards an effective and efficient implementation of its plans and programs.
The renewed vigor of
lay leaders for the reorganization of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, Diocesan
Commissions, Apostolates and Ministries.
The implementation of
the different programs of the 1997 DIPP among others: Standardization scheme of
Priests’ and Parish Personnel’s remuneration, Centralization of Diocesan
Schools, Financial Stability of Parishes, and greater emphasis on Catholic
Education and Formation.
C. THE HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE OF
ALAMINOS
January 12, 1985 was the day when
Pope John Paul II created Alaminos, once called the “Wild West of Pangasinan,”
into a diocese. On April 22, L'Osservatore Romano announced
the appointment of then Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan, the Most Reverend Jesus A. Cabrera, D.D., PhD, as the First
Residential Bishop of the newly created diocese. On June 28, 1985, the new
bishop was installed. When the diocese was established, nineteen parishes from
the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan became part of the diocese of Alaminos.
The western part of
Pangasinan, being the location of the diocese had been eveangelized by the
Recollect Fathers as early as 1609. Their footsteps can be traced by that time
in Bolinao, from where they proceeded to the town of Agno, Mabini, Alaminos,
Bani, Dasol, then northward to Anda, and later on to Burgos and Infanta – in
the chronological order of their foundation. Bolinao, Alaminos, Agno and Mabini
were founded in 1610, Salasa in 1720, Labrador in 1765 and Bani, Sual, and
Mangatarem in 1875.
The territory of the diocese of
Alaminos was part of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan until January 12,
1985. On that date the new diocese was created by Pope John Paul II. The
history of the diocese, therefore, is also part of the diocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan. Alaminos is strategically located in the western part of the
province of Pangasinan. From any point of direction, it is the center of the
congressional district.
More or less 65 kilometers from
the prime city of Dagupan and also 130 kilometers from San Fernando, La Union,
the Regional Center of Ilocos Region. It is bounded on the east by the Lingayen
Gulf and the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, on the north and west by the
China Sea, and on the south by the borders of Zambales and Tarlac Provinces.
The whole diocese is a beautiful land with 249,670 hec, is endowed of rich
natural resources with of hills, mountainsand valleys surrounded by bodies of
water. Thus, majority of the people live through fishing and farming. famous
Hundred Islands, a tourist attraction, is found in the vicinity of Alaminos
town.
The diocese has about 420,000
inhabitants from about 84,000 households of which 83 per cent are
Catholic. And ministering to this new diocese are 14 diocesan priests, 5
Columban Missionary priests, 2 Capuchin Missionaries and 58 women religious
from 13 congregations. There are 19 parishes in all in the 14
municipalities that belong to the diocese. The largest of these is the
Parish of Alaminos with 54,600 parishioners, followed by Bugallon with 44,000,
Mangatarem with 42,000 and Bolinao with 41,000.
The major ethnic group is that of
the Ilocanos who comprise half of the area's total population, followed by
Pangasinenses with 40 per cent, Tagalog, Zamals and Bolinaos with the remaining
10 per cent. There are 15 tribal groups of Igorots in the mountains of
the diocese, driven south from the northern parts of the country by militarization,
eviction by loggers, and by other government projects, and they have finally
settled in the mountains of western Pangasinan.
Socio-economic conditions in the
diocese are extremely poor. Out f the 14 municipalities that comprise the
diocese, only Alaminos is qualified as a first class municipality. The
others are third, fourth and fifth class municipalities. The average
income per family is way below the level of decent existence released by the
National Economic Authority (NEDA) for a family of six.
A majority of those engaged in
work are farmers, fishermen, and agricultural workers – about 70 per
cent. The rest are craftsmen, sales people, technical workers and
government employees. About 90 per cent of homes are single-room
dwellings, and only 7 per cent are made of strong and durable materials.
There are a total of 108 schools,
about half of them elementary, the rest secondary, vocational, technical and
tertiary schools. Seven high schools, 2 elementary schools and 10
pre-schools are run by Catholic congregations. There are about 90,000
children enrolled in schools, but there are still a lot more who are not able
to go to school due to economic difficulties of their parents which force them
to participate in their family farming activities.
Delivery of health service is
inadequate and the provision of medicines insufficient, resulting in poor
overall health care. A main source of income is fishing, but production
in this industry is below the required level of consumption to meet the protein
requirements of the population. Ironically, even the children of some
fisher folk are listed as malnourished.
Fishermen and farmers are
oftentimes victims of middlemen. Most of them are tied to the pursue
strings of middlemen who provide them needed capital, as well as other material
needs, when the main earner cannot go out to work. But the cost is
deducted from harvest or catch, and usurious rates eat up about 60 to 70 per
cent of their incomes. Not a few die without even seeing a doctor.
And their inability to obtain a proper education has resulted in ignorance even
of their own rights.
While Catholics comprise 83 per
cent of the diocesan population, a majority of these are "sacramentalized
but not evangelized." Many are not properly catechized because of
the lack of people who can teach. Only those who are able to attend
school are given the basic catechism. For those who are not fortunate
enough to go to school, the only time they are catechized is when they apply
for marriage. And this situation has not been conducive to instructing
them on the faith.
ASSEMBLIES AND PASTORAL PLANS
From time to time, there have
been changes and developments in the various structures and establishments all
around the diocese. Moreover, the bishop saw the more essential task to be done
– to build the people and form them into a community of Christ’s disciples.
However, for the diocese to address and assess the pastoral situation and
formulate recommendations for the implementation of the laws and decrees, Diocesan
Pastoral Assemblies had to be done.
The Pastoral processes are not
mere activities but they are expressions of Unity and Communion in the diocese.
These also provide the pastoral direction which guides the diocese in realizing
its vision and mission. The following Pastoral Processes are consciously
followed and adopted in some of the more advanced BEC'S, in the parishes and
the diocese as a whole. The Vision: of the diocese is to become a community of
Christ's disciples.
As early as 1986, Bishop Cabrera
convened the clergy and some lay people to define what kind of diocese they
would like to have. Their dream was articulated in the first document of the
Diocesan Vision: Eternal Salvation in Christ through Total Human
Development.Later, when the first Diocesan Pastoral Assembly was called,
the first document was reviewed and thus born the existing vision: To
become a Community of Christ's Disciples.
The vision of the diocese is an
articulation of the aspirations, hopes and dreams of the people: the Bishop,
the clergy, religious and the lay people, and has provided the pastoral
direction for the whole diocese. The first Diocesan Assembly was celebrated in
October 1995 as a fitting way to thank God in commemoration of the 10th year
anniversary of the diocese. The assembly gave birth to three pastoral
priorities. These are the following: The importance of Ecclesial Communion
which must exist among the so-called Agents of Renewal: the clergy, the
religious and the lay people; the establishment of Structures that would allow
wider Participation; and the identification of (BEC) - Basic Ecclesial
Communities as the Pastoral Thrust of the Diocese.
The diocese held its Second
Diocesan Pastoral Assembly on Nov. 19 to 23, 2000 focusing on Lay Ministry and
Participation. The basic concern was how the lay people could effectively and
efficiently participate in the life and mission of the Church and how the
different lay apostolate and ministries could be integrated into the Diocesan
Pastoral Thrusts of Building BEC's. The basic programs, structures, skills and
values needed to enable the lay people to participate in the evangelizing task
of the diocese in fulfillment of their vocation were identified.
The third Pastoral Assembly had
Communion of Communities as its theme. To realize this goal the assembly
focused on the following pastoral priorities: the participation of all in the
life and mission of the Church; to develop a deeper commitment and
greater sense of responsibility among the faithful; and integral
evangelization; and, how to make the communities become more self-reliant and
self-sustaining.
The formation and strengthening
of the BECs is another pastoral process that led to the realization of the
Diocesan Vision. There are at present more than 800 BECs organized and existing
in the different barangays of the 20 parishes in various levels of development
and capabilities. The diocese finds the translation of its character as a
Church of the Poor and marginalized. Rich and poor alike find their identity
and unity with one another and with whole Church through the BEC's.
Pope John Paul II appointed
Bishop Jesus A. Cabrera, DD as Auxiliary Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on
May 9, 1980. He was ordained bishop on July 1, 1980. On April 22, 1985 he was
appointed first Bishop of Alaminos. His installation took place on June 28,
1985. He retired on July 1, 2007.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed
Bishop Marlo M. Peralta, DD as Coadjutor Bishop of Alaminos on Jan. 14, 2006.
He was ordained bishop on March 31, 2006. His installation took place on April
28, 2006. He became Bishop of Alaminos by succession: July 1, 2007.
SEMINARY: St. Joseph College
Seminary
On January 12, 1985, the western
part of the civil province of Pangasinan was created and erected as the Diocese
of Alaminos. Months later, on June 28, 1985, the Most Rev. Jesus A. Cabrera,
DD, was installed as the first resident Bishop. With the bishop, there
were only then 17 priests and a few lay leaders to shepherd and to cater to the
spiritual needs of the faithful.
To respond properly to the
longings of the people and their thirst for the Word of God, they have realized
the scarcity of priests for the diocese. Thus, the situation asks for
more priests as living instruments of the presence of God's kingdom in our
midst. With that is the growing awareness in the church that we need
holy, well prepared priests who can truly serve the people of God as the
faithful seek holiness and give themselves to the apostolic task of announcing
the Gospel, making the Church the sacrament of salvation in the world.
Trusting in the Lord's promise,
we have constantly begged the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his
bountiful vineyard (Mt 9,38). In His graciousness, the Lord has been
answering our prayers, being faithful to his promise to give shepherds after
his own heart (Jer. 3, 15). He has been calling young men from the
different Christian communities and have sent them: to the seminary, as we
witness an increasing number of vocations to the ordained ministry, in our
Diocese.
The gradual fulfillment of God's
faithfulness is the foundation and impulse of our dream to build up the Saint
Joseph College Seminary. Thus, to mark the thirteenth anniversary of the
installation of the Bishop, on June 28. 1998 there had the Blessing and Laying
of the Cornerstone.
The Saint Joseph College Seminary
is a tribute to God's love. It is a response to his
tenacious love, which continues by sending workers to the harvest. Sincere
gratitude calls for an active response. We must respond to God by
attempting to form as well as possible these young men whom he is calling into
his service for the good of all humanity.
Now, after almost four years, the
construction of the seminary building is almost entirely done.
Accompanied with fervent prayer, generous people and institution, both local
and international, have contributed to what it is now. God's mysterious love
has touched the hearts of magnanimous people to financially support the
construction phase of the seminary.
The formation of the future
priests is considered by the Church as one of the most demanding and important
tasks for the evangelization of humanity. Thus, the seminary is rightly
called the heart of the diocese. The seminary is meant to
contribute towards creating and preserving the conditions in which the good
seed, sown by God, can take root and bring forth abundant fruit. Such a
formation prepares a priest for his pastoral ministry so that he can stand in
the midst of God's people as one who serves and as one who confidently guides
them on the spiritual pilgrimage that eventually leads them to the fullness of
the kingdom, their heavenly home.
The lay faithful should not be
left behind. The seminary is also made available to them for their
formation and other activities for the growth of their commitment to the way of
Christ, our Lord and Master.
IV. THE HIGH SCHOOL SEMINARY AND
THE PARISHES
A. HISTORY OF THE OUR LADY OF
PURIFICATION PARISH
The town of Binmaley is situated
in the delta area of the Agno River, between the Capital of Pangasinan,
Lingayen, and the commercial center, Dagupan City. The situation of Binmaley is
also her destiny to be a fishing and agricultural town with some small
industries as woodcraft, poultry and pottery. The memory of two dreadful
inundations in1935 and 1972 are still vivid in the memory of older people. The
church only was not reached by the terrible floods. Many people took their last
refuge in it to avoid being drowned.
By now it is better protected by
a big dike running down from the Limahong Channel to the town of Bayambang.
Since some barangays are bounded by the Lingayen Gulf, and the river arms and
estuaries are rich in fish, shrimps and prawns, a prosperous fishing industry
developed. Low lying lands with access to the river water were converted into
fishponds, where milk-fish (bangus), shrimps and prawns are cultured. Purely
agricultural areas have a harder stand to provide a living since there is no
irrigation, and the farms are small.
The Parish before the
Revolution 1898
The first Missionaries arriving
in Pangasinan were Augustinian monks. They were followed soon by Dominican
Friars. They were charged with the pastoral care of all that is today
Pangasinan under the archdiocese of Nueva Segovia.
The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia
stretched from Batanes Islands down to the towns of Labrador, Sual, Salasa,
Aguilar, Mangatarem, Mayantoc, Sta. Ignacia. Paniqui, Gerona, Pura, Ramos,
Moncada, Anao, Villasis, Sta. Maria, San Quintin, and Natividad. In 1928 the
diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan was created comprising the area of the present
province of Pangasinan. Only recently January 16, 1984, two new dioceses were
separated from the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, i.e. the diocese of
Alaminos in the West and the diocese of Urdaneta in the East.
The Catholic Directory of the
Philippines 1988 gives as founding year of the Parish Nuestra Senora de la
Purificacion in 1627. Our oldest Baptismal Book reaches down to 1675. The claim
that the town of Binmaley was founded in 1590 cannot be substantiated by any
document. The Dominican Friars pastorized the parish until the revolution in
1898. The last Dominican parish priest of Binmaley was Fr. Ulpiano Sanz.
There is an incident worth
mentioning. When the Episcopal see of the North was still at Lallo, Cagayan,
Juan de la Fuente y Yepez was very influential at the Spanish Court. He
proposed the transfer of the Episcopal see from Lallo Cagayan to Nueva Segovia
(Vigan). His proposal was accepted and he was appointed the first bishop of
Nueva Segovia.
The only way to travel was the
sea. When he was on his way to take possession of the See and at the height oh
Bolinao he fell sick. Instead of continuing his journey he requested to be
brought to Binmaley. He did not recover but died there November 27, 1775 after
receiving the last sacraments. His death is properly recorded in the Book of
the Deceased. A granite slab in the center aisle of the church keeps his memory
alive in Binmaley.
There is one Dominican Friar
whose outstanding work withstood the wear and tear of more than 100 years, the
Diccionario Pangasinan-Espanol. Father Pedro Villanova, parish priest of
Binmaley, Provincial and Vicar Forane, reworked and re-edited this dictionary
originally written by Fr. Lorenzo Fernandez Cosgaya. This dictionary was
printed in Manila by the printing press of the ‘Colegio de Santo Tomas.’ It is
of great value for studying the Pangasinan Language. It was printed in 1863.
The last Dominican friar
appointed as parish priest of Binmaley was Fr. Ulpiano Sanz. He cared for the
parish from June 29, 1890 to June 21, 1898. It was from the Friars that the
Binmaleynians inherited a deep love for our Lady, which expresses itself in the
frequent pilgrimages to the shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag and a fervent
devotion to the Queen of the Holy Rosary.
History of the Parish from
1898-1932
During the revolution 1898 no
Friar or Priest was harmed in Binmaley. A few prominent families joined the
Aglipay church but returned later on to the Catholic faith. A very small
remainder of people who became members of the Independent Church is still
living in the sitio Buengal of Brgy. Balagan.
Some properties in Binmaley near
Church were lost to the government, e.g., the North Central School, adjacent to
the old Rectory, now the Minor Seminary. Some families testified that the
school was a government school.
After the Dominican Friars had
left the parish, Secular priests took over. The very first Filipino priest who
succeeded the Dominicans was Fr. Mawricio Maria Bello y Peralta. From July 1,
1898 on he calls himself “preysbetero.” From July 21, 1898 he signs as
“kapellano.” From September 1 his title is “cura parroco de este pueblo.” His
last entry December 6, 1898.
He was succeeded by Fr. Lorenzo
Guarin. The name of Guarin is still common in Binmaley. Mr. Pedro G. Castro,
the late principal of BCHS frequently remarked that Fr. Lorenzo Guarin was one
of his relatives. On November 29, 1898 he signs as Cura Parroco for the first
time. His last entry in the Baptismal Book is January 24, 1899.
Fr. Segundo Orbi y Oandasan must
have been born in 1855. According to his testament which he signed on September
28, 1932 at Vigan he was 76 years old at that time. He wished to be buried “en
el Mausoleo del Clero” in the Catholic Cementery of Vigan.
He donated some 20 books or so to
the “Colegio Seminario de Vigan” while his bigger library was destroyed by
termites in Binmaley. He was No. 9 of the “Los Defensores dela Libertad” and a
member of the hermandad de Suffragio para Clerigos and paid into the “Monte
Pio.” Fr. Segundo was a priest of many landholdings. In Binmaley alone he
owned not less than 35 pieces of land. One of these lots was situated in the
poblacion of Binmaley, corner Luna St. and Plaza. He stipulates in his
statement that this lot should either be used for a convento or a Catholic
School.
Since the Parish Center, which
serves the adult Christian education, and the kindergarten were built on this
lot, the condition, he laid, is faithfully realized. He donated all 36 pieces
of land in Binmaley to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lingayen. Besides these 36
parcels of land in Binmaley he owned numerous properties in the towns of
Magsingal and Sto. Domingo.
For some time Fr.
Segundo must have been an assistant of Fr. Mawricio Maria Bello y Peralta. On
January 26, 1899 he signs the Baptismal Book as “Parroco Interino.” There was a
visitation from Vigan on March 11, 1905 by Dionisio Obispo de Nueva Segovia,
signed “ante mi,” Antonio M. Padilla. From that time on Fr. Urbi signed as Cura
Parroco de Binmaley.
It is suprising that the entire
Baptismal Book # 14 is signed by Fr. Segundo Urbi. This book contains all
baptisms of 1882, 1883, and 1884 until November 1885. Fr. Agustin Gallego must
have used a poor paper, so that it was easily torn and the writing was almost
illegible. Fr. Segundo was authorized to transfer the entries into the Book #
14 which had a better paper. Dionisio Dougherty, Obispo of Nueva Segovia,
signed the book on the occasion of the diocesan visitation on March 11, 1905,
attested by Fr. Antonio Maria Padilla, the Vicar General.
For many years now the pastoral
care of the Binmaley parish was lying in his hands. We find his last entry into
the Baptismal Book # 26 under June 15, 1924. He must have returned to Ilocos
Sur. He died October 20, 1932 and was buried in mausoleum for priests in the
cementery of Vigan. Fr. Segundo Urbi who was for 20 years parish priest (if we
count the year of being an “interino”) was followed by Fr. Manuel Corales.
The Binmaley Parish under the
Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Msgr. Cesar Maria Guerrero, the first bishop
of the newly created diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan asked the Society of the
Divine Word (SVD) to administer his Minor Seminary which he intended to open in
the large parish rectory of BInmaley. The offer was accepted 1929.
It is frequently
asked why such a big convento for one or two priests only. During the Spanish
time, there was no place for relaxation or recreation. Baguio was not yet developed.
The Dominican professors of University of Sto. Tomas had a possibility to spend
their vacation in Binmaley COnvento, where the sea is nearby and the
surroundings are quiet and undisturbed.
A short time after the new Minor
Seminary had been accepted by the SVD, Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero wished to
entrust the entire parish of Nuestra Senora de la Purificacion of Binmaley to
the SVD, too. The contract which entrusted the parish to the SVD was signed
June 6, 1932. The contract gives the following reasons for the transfer,
Since the SVD does not accept the
pastoral care of fully established parishes, since it is against her very
purpose, she accepts this parish only with the intention that the pastoral care
for this parish serves for the Seminarians as a model of a good parish
administration.
The contract was signed by Fr.
Seperior General William Gier, the Fathers Collins, Theodore Buttenbruch and
Hergesheirmer representing the SVD and by Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero, Fathers
Isaias Edralin, Licerio Barnachea and (name illegible). The parish must not
have been all too happy about the intention of the bishop to establish the
Minor Seminary in the rectory or convento.
Fr. Manuel Corrales had to
relinquish al rooms but one. He was so to say, relegated into a corner that had
immediate connection with the church through a door leading to the organ loft
of the big church. When his physical strength failed him to go down into the
church, he blessed the funerals from above.
Before Fr. Juan Salzmann could
learn the language and get involved into proper pastoral work he had to build a
new convento. How did it look? Just the same way as it looked until 2007. The
present convento is the convento Fr. Juan built in 1932. He did a good job. The
carrying structures are all first class hard lumber and still strong. The
flooring, doors and partitions were made of Narra, which suffered from the
sheilling during the war and had partly to be replaced. It is a proof of its
good quality that convento withstood attacks of floods, earthquakes, termites
and typhoons.
Archbishop Limon ranked it among
the best conventos around. Upstairs there were there rooms. Fr. Beller added a
small room over the entrance which, however, is so hot that nobody wants to
stay there. The convento is for the present transactions and requirements much
too small. While the offices of the convento have to serve a population of
close to 50,000 people or more while the population of that time was not even
20,000 people.
Who was Fr. Juan Salzmann? He
hailed from Valle Maria, district Entre Rios in Argentina. He was born in 1898.
He was among the first Argentinian Fathers who staffed the Minor Seminary,
e.g., Frs. Ederle Krieger, Garay, Gassmann and others.
Fr. Juan as he was called, left a
lasting mark on the pastoral care of the SVD in Binmaley by starting regular
catechetical classes in Public Schools. He trained a small dedicated group of
Catechists and solicited the help of the Seminary Fathers and the Seminarians
in teaching our faith in school. He achieved another lasting effect in
convincing the people to call the priest to their sick.
At the end of the war in 1945
when he saw the beautiful church in ruins, the tower and convento heavily
damaged, he got disheartened and thought he could never cope with
reconstruction. He told his assistant Fr. Francis Kutscher, “This is too much
for me. You must take over.”
After he resigned he served still
as director in several schools. Finally he asked for a transfer back to
Argentina, where he spent his last years. He died on March 27, 1981 at the age
of 83.
Last April 2003, the Binmaley
Parish hosted one of the growing activities of the Archdiocese, which was the
Archdiocesan Youth Day (AYD). It was during the administration of Bishop Renato
Mayugba and Fr. Greg Calix.
The success of the administration
was followed by the next administration under Fr. Mario Morales and Fr. Allen
Romero. It was under this administration that the Binmaley Parish
undergone renovation, from repainting, installation of new altar, restoration
of the Retablos, and to installation of the chandeliers.
Fr. Vic Embuido and Fr. Diosdado
Posadas continued the renovation of the convento. It was all through the help
of the parishioners and some friends from different places that the parish and
the convento were renovated.
Now, the Binmaley parish is under
the team ministry headed by Fr. Vic Embuedo and Fr. Diosdado Posadas and Fr.
Rojan Ramires as members.
B. History of Mary Help of
Christians Seminary
On May 24, 1929 a grand day of
commencement when history marked an insignia upon the peaceful and quiet town
of Binmaley, Pangasinan. The very venerable institution, the Seminario
Diocesano de Maria Auxiliadora, was officially launched by Bishop Msgr. Maria
Guerrero, who took the first and primary moves to establish the seminary, which
was long conceived by the Catholic hierarchy out of a pressing need for
developing future church leaders.
The seminary was named after the
Queen of Heaven, Maria Auxiliadora, to whom Bishop Guerrero was a faithful
devotee and whose feast-day was coincided by its launching day; the name was
changed into Maria Auxilium Christianorum Seminarium after some years; and
became Mary Help of Christians Minor Seminary, which is the present one.
Without a formal structure to
house them, up to June 8, 1929, the first batch of seminarians from Lingayen
Diocese were temporarily accommodated at the Vigan Seminary on the request of
Msgr. Guerrero to Bishop Sancho of Nueva Segovia. Meantime, in his
determination to finally put up the Binmaley seminary, Bishop Guerrero signed a
contract with the General Superior of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD or
Societas Verbum Dei), Father William Gier, on August 23, 1929.
And finally, on May 24, 1930, the
Seminary was solemnly inaugurated by Msgr. William Piani, the Apostolic
Delegate on the Feast of Our Lady. A month later, the Lingayen Diocese minor
seminarians were moved from Vigan to Binmaley, together with the administrative
staff composed of Father Henry Ederle, the Rector; Father Arthur Dingmann, the
Prefect; and Father Joseph Bette, the Procurator and acting parish priest of
Binmaley during that time.
The succeeding two decades were
characterized by gradual growth in terms of upgrading facilities and education
system, although enrollees remained constant during the period. In August 1935,
the whole town of Binmaley was placed underwater by floods caused by strong
typhoons that were known to have blown even ocean-going steamers into dry land
in the harbors of Manila. Accounts of great flood indicated that “the people
were fishing on the street in front of the town hall.” The seminary, however,
emerged practically unscathed by the catastrophe. It was the only building in
the area that was intact and became a safe place of refuge for the typhoon and
flood victims.
For three years after its
inception, the seminary’s population increased with the addition if the fourth
and fifth year classes. The number of enrollees, however, remained fixed to an
average of 45, even after the introduction of a two-year philosophy course from
1938 to 1950. In fact, the biggest recorded seminary population of 66
registered in 1932-1933 while the smallest number at 39 was recorded in
1940-1941. Until the time when the teaching of philosophy was initiated, the
fifth year graduates were sent to Manila or Vigan for their further studies
that included Theology.
A few years later, at the
outbreak of World War II in December 1941, all seminarians were sent home. In
June 1942, the classes were resumed and all batches of seminarians during the
period were given automatic one-year promotions, except those who had been
originally in the first and second year Philosophy classes. The seminarians
were spared in the heavy bombardment of the town in 1945 upon the re-taking of
the islands by the American liberators as they had been sent home months ahead.
During the school year 1945-1946
and the first semester of the following year, 44 seminarians occupied the old
convent of Calasiao. The pastor and curate stayed, meantime in the church
sacristy. During that time, the five seminary fathers preoccupied themselves
with giving religious instruction at Calasiao High School.
After the short sojourn in
Calasiao, by the end of the second semester of the school year 1946-1947, the whole
Seminary transferred back to Binmaley. The academic setup of five years of high
school and two years of Philosophy was retained for three years more, enjoying
in all a life span of eleven years.
With this basic ”structure“
strongly secured and stabilized for the more part of the past two decades under
the administration of the Five Rectors: Fr. Enrique Ederle, Fr. Henry Buerchen,
Fr. Pedro Kranewitter, Fr. George Hardwardt, Fr. Anthony Colet, the seminary in
fifties, sixties and seventies focused much of its attention and resources on
expansion to accommodate the growing enrollment.
Fr. Joseph Klekamp initiated it
all, improving and building upon the previous edifices and other facilities
that were up through the intercession of the Bishop. In 1951, a more spacious
chapel replaced the old one situated in what is now the sacristy above the
staircase. Crowding the old convents’ azotea and study hall at the further end,
this new chapel was located at the second floor of the building. The latter was
enlarged in 1953 and connected to the school building.
Though 100 seminarians could be
comfortly contained in the new facility, more spaces were needed for the
seminarians’ sleeping quarter and study halls. A three-storey edifice was
constructed in 1956 behind the new chapel. Soon after, an additional
four-storey structure was attached to it to form together one single complex.
This annexed house the lavatories, bathrooms, comfort rooms and four guest
rooms. In 1964, the last of the building complex was put up, featuring
dormitories, dining halls, a kitchen and personal quarters. Other subsequent
building and facility additions included three basketball courts-the south
court in 1955, the middle court in 1959, and the north court in 1965.
Work on the grotto of Our Lady on
the northeast corner of the compound began in September 1955. Presently, the
dormitory of the old building is being into a big library. The old structure
near the carpentry shop used for toilet and shower rooms was brought down to
give way to a lawn tennis court.
Even with the transfer of the
Philosophy course to the major department in 1950, the seminary’s enrolment
remained unaffected. The same trend was observed even after the phasing out of
the fifth year college in 1969 and the worldwide crisis suffered by the
vocation in the early seventies. On the contrary, the population trend remained
upward, soaring from a low sixty in the first two school years in the fifties
to as high as 225 in the school year 1966-1967, maintaining a yearly average
count of 138.
In 1959, the seminary
was granted government recognition by the Bureau of Private Schools. The
students finishing the special classical secondary course were entitled leading
to the Bachelor of Arts Degree. Since 1977, the Seminary has adopted a new
curriculum formulated by the Ministry of Education and Culture for public and
private schools. Except for Latin, Spanish and Religion, the seminarians took
up a similar number of subjects with those of their counterparts elsewhere.
The Binmaley Seminary’s offering
for its student has the unmistakable hallmarks of the SVD standards of
education. The staff’s international character also made indelible imprints on
the development of the seminarians. For the past 21 years of the SVD
administration, the list of Rectors included Fr. William Van Kuijicj, Fr.
Alphonse Mildner, Msgr. Simeon Valerio, Fr. Liberato Fernandez, Fr. Vicente
Braganza, Fr. William Nuehoeffer, Fr. Charles Gries, and Fr. Victor Holobrady.
The three Filipinos were MHCS
alumni themselves like practically all the priests in the diocese, having
considerably progressed through years. It was only a matter of time for the
diocesan clergy to be ready to take over the seminary’s administration.
In 1976, four clergies from the
diocese took over: Fr. Jesus Cabrera, as Rector; Fr. Jose Cariño, as Principal;
Fr. Demetrio Bugayong, as Prefect; and Father Arcadio Muñoz, as Music Director.
Two SVD priests who had been the seminary’s pillars, Fr. Victor Holobrady and
Fr. John Healy were asked by Msgr. Federico Limon, the Archbishop of
Lingayen-Dagupan, to stay and to continue serving as Procurator and Spiritual
Director.
Rev. Fr. Demetrio L. Bugayong
(1979-1984), Rev. Fr. Jose F. Laforteza (1984-1991), Rev. Fr. Francis C.
Posadas (1992-1994), Rev. Fr. Alberto T. Arenos (1994-1998), Rev. Fr.
ReynaldoV. Romero (1998-2000), Rev. Fr. Carlito Yden (2001-2004), Rev. Fr.
Allan Morris T. Abuan (2004-2007) and Rev. Fr. Jeremias B. Cera (2007-present)
followed the rosters of MHCS’ father rectors.
C. HISTORY OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR
LORD PARISH
Lingayen was one of the first
towns in Pangasinan where Catholicism was implanted by the Augustinian
missionaries in 1614.
The founders used the term
“Lingayen” at the suggestion of the natives themselves because of a big
tamarind tree growing in the town plaza at that time. The tree was
exceptionally big, tall and with spreading branches that the surrounding trees
were dwarfed in comparison. Passersby developed the habit of looking back and
back again at this huge tree as long as it remained in sight.
When they arrived home, and were
asked what route they took in returning, they would simply say “through
Lingayen” – meaning, “Looking back”. Two years later, the town was given its
first curate, Fr. Juan Martinez with Fr. Juan de Jacinto, Fr. Pedro Vasquez and
Fr. Antonio de San Vicente as his assistants. Since the Augustinians had other
religious work in Ilocos, they left Lingayen and the church to the Dominicans
in 1739-40. From 1900 to June, 1933 Filipino priests took turns in taking
charge of the Three Kings Parish.
On May 19, 1928, Lingayen church
was elevated to the dignity of a Cathedral through the Apostolic Constitution, Continua
Omnium Ecclesiarum, of Pope Pius XI with the name Diocese of Lingayen.
Actually, the Diocese of Lingayen was carved out of Archdiocese of Manila and
the Diocese of Nueva Segovia, Tarlac and Zambales first belonged to the
Archdiocese of Manila while the rest belonged to the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.
Lingayen came from Diocese of Nueva Segovia. As a Diocese, Lingayen was chosen
to be the Episcopal Seat with Most Reverend Cesar ma. Guerrero consecrated as
the first bishop, later succeeded by the Most Reverend Mariano A. Madriaga on
May 24, 1938.
Late in 1936 an inter-parochial
Eucharistic Congress was held within the Diocese in preparation for the XXXIII
International Eucharistic Congress held in Manila in February, 1937. Perhaps
drawing inspiration from the success of these inter-parochial gatherings, the idea
of holding future Christ the King celebrations in the different parishes was
conceived. Thus the Christ the King feast is now held in different parishes in
Pangasinan from year to year.
Starting in 1933, the Columban
priests from Ireland arrived in Lingayen one after the other. The first to
arrive was Rev. Fr. Samuel Sheehan. Work in the parish was well coordinated by
the tactfulness and experiences of Father Sheehan. At the request of Bishop
Madriaga, the Columban Sisters came to Lingayen on August 21, 1939 for the
catechetical apostolate in the public schools.
The diocese of Lingayen was
reconstituted into an archdiocese on February 16, 1963, encompassing only the
whole civil province of Pangasinan. The towns of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija were
returned to their respective civil province to form the independent dioceses,
each suffragan of the new Metropolitan See of Lingayen-Dagupan. Also, the towns
of Zambales were returned to their own provinces when it became also a diocese.
It was also during this time that the seat of the newly elevated archdiocese
was transferred from Lingayen to Dagupan. The diocese was therefore named
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan and Lingayen was known as The Three Kings
Co-Cathedral. The Most Reverend Mariano A. Madriaga was promoted as the first
archbishop of Metropolitan See.
When the Columban Fathers left
Lingayen, Filipino priests took over. Lingayen parishioners cannot forget the
services of these Filipino priests assigned in our parish especially the
priest-sons of Lingayen. During the episcopacy of Archbishop Limon, the big
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan was divided. On February 12, 1985, the western
part of the province of Pangasinan was constituted into a new diocese – the
Diocese of Alaminos, while the eastern part became the Diocese of Urdaneta,
both suffragans of Lingayen-Dagupan. Upon the retirement of Archbishop Limon,
the Most Reverend Oscar V. Cruz succeeded him and was installed on August 29,
1991. The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan comprises the central part of Pangasinan
with the Epiphany of Our Lord Parish as one of the parishes. Each diocese is
divided into vicariates. Lingayen belongs to Vicariate II of the Archdiocese.
The original name of the Parish
in Lingayen was “Los Tres Reyes” or Three Kings Parish. Later on, under
the care of Rev. Fr. John Palinar, Moderator, Rev. Fr. Jose Estrada, Rev. Fr.
Manuel Bravo and Rev. Fr. Victor Embuido, the parish got the name “Epiphany of
Our Lord Parish”. Under this Team Ministry, the parish will assume a new title
– the Epiphany of Our Lord Parish.
This plan was supported for the
reason that, there should be only one cathedral since the present seat of the
Archbishop is in Dagupan, not Lingayen. Besides, the name “Three Kings” is not
found in the Bible, it only referred to them as the “Three Wise Men”. The
Epiphany of Our Lord or the manifestation of the child Jesus to the Gentiles
fell on January 6, originally. But now it shall be celebrated on the first
Sunday of January which is also the town’s fiesta.
The Epiphany of Our Lord Parish
belongs to the Ecclesiastical Territory of the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan.
The Lingayen church is said to
have been built in 1710. Its imposing bell tower is 45 varas in height,
with interior and convent following an architectural plan that made people
regard it as one of the best edifices in the province, perhaps in the whole
northern Luzon at that time. The church dome was the work of the famous Fr.
Miguel Aparicio (1826-1834).
When things were going on nicely
in the parish, World War II broke out on December 8, 1941 affecting temporarily
the activities in the church. Even during the Japanese occupation in our
country. Columban Priests and Sisters continued to arrive in Lingayen for their
mission.
In the latter part of 1942,
Reverend Father Dermot Feeny was the parish priest. On January 9, 1945, the
American forces landed in Lingayen beach, dropping bombs in Poblacion. The
bishop’s residence was greatly damaged and the church was partially destroyed,
too, and was the cause of the fall of the centuries-old bells. The damage done
to the bishop’s palace caused the transfer of the residence of Bishop Madriaga
from Lingayen to Dagupan through the Papal Decree of Pope Pius XII.
There were some disasters that
ravaged the Parish aside from the 1972 great flood. These were the recent super
typhoons like Gading, Cosme, Ondoy, and Peping. These super
typhoons especially the typhoon Cosme damaged the roof of the
parish and old convent of the priests. Later on, the old convent was removed.
During those times, however, the generosity of the people of Lingayen and even
outside of the town overflowed bountifully. It was again a time of caring and
loving.
During the liberation period, the
Columban Fathers with Father Feeny and Father Gallagher as the moving spirits
started the reconstruction of the Bishop’s Palace, which later became the Saint
Columban’s College. The inauguration of the renovated cathedral was in 1963.
The parishioners were very, very happy when they saw the magnificent work done
on the one time hopeless ruins.
Again on the occasion of the
Christ the King Celebration in the parish in 1965, more improvement was done.
Upon the retirement of Archbishop Madriaga on February 7, 1973, the Most
Reverend Federico Limon took over. In the summer of 1978, the Golden Jubilee of
the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese was successfully celebrated due to the able
management of Parish Priest of Lingayen at that time, Rev. Fr. John Dennehy.
The church was repainted inside
and outside. Visitors from and near had a memorable time attending the
unforgettable event. The Columban Fathers stayed in Lingayen for 48 years.
During their stay, they performed a marvellous mission in the parish. They had
worked zealously for the welfare of the parishioners, both spiritually and
morally. Since their arrival in 1933 to 1981, the progress done by the Columban
Fathers was immeasurable.
During the term of the first Team
Ministry of our parish composing of Rev. Fr. John Palinar, Moderator, Rev. Fr.
Jose Estrada, Rev. Fr. Manuel Bravo and Rev. Fr. Victor Embuido, the change of
the centuries-old church bells with the new ones was done by the team through
donations from civic-spirited citizens here and abroad. Fr. Palinar describes
his parishioners as traditional or conservative who are very active in the
parish’s various concerns. Many senior citizens here are devout Catholics, Fr.
Palinar says. They are open, however, to changes. They are not ultra
conservative.
People here are cool, mild, not
hot-tempered nor impulsive. They support liturgical and social reforms.
Incidentally, Lingayen is well known for having established the Lingayen
Catholic Credit Cooperative, Inc. which is popular not only in Pangasinan but
also in other provinces in Region I.
Started by a group of
parishioners led by the Knights of Columbus under the spiritual guidance of Fr.
Dermot Feeney, on July 12, 1954, the Cooperative has expanded its objectives to
include cooperating with the local government in the socio-economic programs
for the upliftment of the masses. The parish of the Epiphany of Our Lord is
therefore on the way towards making Christ more present, more felt, more
accessible, more manifest.
The second Team Ministry with
Rev. Fr. Alberto T. Arenos as the moderator, Rev. Fr. Camilo Natividad and Rev.
Fr. Jovino Batecan as members, undertook various church projects which included
the repainting of the church, repair of the roofing’s, installation of new
sound system, repair of the Shalom Hall and sacristy, putting up of a museum
that houses the old church bells, renovation of the parochial office and the
construction of a new building for the offices of the Family Life Apostolate,
Cathecists, Youth and Church Store. Most important of them all is the
organization of Basic Ecclesial Communities.
The third Team Ministry
comprising of Rev. Fr. Alberto T. Arenos, still the Moderator, Rev. Fr.
Camilo Natividad and Rev. Fr. Rolly Salosagcol as members, all the unfinished
projects of the previous team ministry has been completed with the following
maintained:
·
Maintenance of
Ecclesial Communities already organized.
·
Restoration of the
AHROMA – Association of the Heads of Religious Organization Movements and
Apostolate.
·
Active participation
of all religious organization in all church activities.
·
Organization of
Pastoral Councils in all barangays.
·
Involvement of
Inter-sectoral agencies in all church activities.
·
Beautification of the
church and its premises.
The present Team Ministry
comprising of Rev. Fr. Francis Posadas, the moderator, Rev. Fr. Camilo
Natividad, Rev. Fr. Rodolfo Somintac and Rev. Fr. Nicasio Villamil, Jr. as
members still continues the programs of the past Team Ministry. Moreover, the
on-going project of this Team Ministry is the remodeling of the “Retablo”
of the parish.
Through the great efforts of this
present Team Ministry, the Epiphany of Our Lord parish is on its way towards a
full fulfillment of the theme: PARTNERSHIP FOR CHRIST’S KINGDOM VALUES.
The faithful of the Epiphany of
Our Lord Parish are devout Catholics. Albeit each one has its own devotions to
the different saints placed adjacent to the Church, every Wednesday afternoon,
the faithful see to it that they pray the Holy Rosary and the Novena to Our
Lady of Perpetual Help with floral offerings.
D. HISTORY OF THE CHAPEL OF THE
RESURRECTION
Brgy. Baay, Lingayen, Pangasinan
The Chapel of the Resurrection in
Brgy. Baay, Lingayen was built and inspired by the old chapel – the Nuestra
Senora del Rosario Chapel at SitioSagur in the early 1960’s in honor of the
SitioSagur’s Patron Saint – Nuestra Senora del Rosario and San Gregorio Papa.
Energized by the goal of the elders of the Sitio and together with a few people
of equivalent vision namely, the late Atty. Saturnino Orate, Arch. Ben Soriano
and the Sitio’s grand old man the late Silvestre Ulanday started to have talks
in what used to be just a rehabilitation plan for the old chapel.
In 1981, that same group of
elders reached out to fellow Baayenos from the barangay’s six sitios to form
the Aliguas Na MuyongayBaay (ANMB) – a civic organization through which
contribution of talents, resources and energies for a timely purpose were course
through. One of the objectives of this organization was the promotion of
spiritual enrichment in the community among the faithful of Brgy. Baay. As a
socio-civix organization the ANMB under the leadershipof its first president,
the late Atty. Saturnino Orate, started with community improvement projects and
members build up the new Chapel. The plan to build a chapel was located at an
obscure place at Sitio Pandayan. While socio-civic projects were being
undertaken, the associations main objective of constructing a chapel-community
center for the barangay never went out of sight and its realization saw its
dawn in the year 1984.
During the period time of ANMB’s
third president – Rolando R. Cruz, when a generous son of Baay, the late Engr.
BraulioAbalos donated the Abalos family property of 1, 363.35 square meters
located at SitioPandayan where the present chapel is located. This generosity
shown by the late Engr. Abalos brought enthusiasm and inspiration to the people
of Baay to continue working for the accomplishment of this significant goal.
Architectural design
of the chapel was conceived and was given pro bono by an ace architect of Baay,
Arch. Ben B. Soriano, who eventually became the association’s fourth president.
Initial funding for the chapels foundation erection was donated by a Baayeno
whose name is well known in the Construction industry – Eulogio Ulanday of the
Ulanday Builder’s Inc. through Arch. Soriano’s endeavour the chapel
construction project was adopted by the United Architects of the Philippines
Maharlika Chapter for which he is a bona fide member and thus support (material
and technical) in the course of the construction were made available. But the
most benevolent way of constructing the chapel was done by the faithful natives
of Barangay Baay.
The materials of
building the chapel were designed through traditional Filipino custom of
“bayanihan” through volunteerism. The faithful people of Brgy. Gave their time,
strenghen and means just to help in buiding up their Chapel. Almost of them worked
everyday for free in the chapel’s construction.
The Spiritual Reawakening and the
Chapel’s Construction
In the early 1990, the schedules
Eucharistic celebrations were made with the Lingayen Parish for a regular mass
in Barangay Baay every last Saturday of the month that commenced on February
24, 1990. Hence, Rev. Fr. JovinoBatecan, who was then the Chairman for the
Archdiocesan Social Action Center, generously implanted his knowledge and
initiated opportunities in livelihood program for the people living nearer
to the church.
After three years the
erection of the chapel was completed and it was inaugurated and consecrated by
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan on the
Easter of 1993 on the occasion of the 3rd Unified Barangay Baay Day.
The Chapel was
dedicated to name the Chapel of the Resurrection in honor of the
Resurrected Christ, whose feast is celebrated on Easter Sunday. With the
completion and inauguration of the chapel, religious activities in the church
was heightened, with the help of the team ministry of the Three Kings
Co-Cathedral, regular Sunday Masses were celebrate, and regular activities were
provided like the celebration of the Word and the Eucharist on Monday and
Sunday evenings, the once a month Holy Hour, the daily Rosary, the Twin Hears
Consecration and the BEC formation. Among the first batch of priests who
celebrated mass in the newly constructed chapel were, Rev. Fr. John Palinar,
Rev. Fr. Jose Estrada, Rev. Fr. Victor Z. Embuido and Rev. Fr. Manuel Bravo.
The Chapel’s First
Chaplain and the Present Time
In 2003, the oratory
was assigned with its first chaplain after Rev. Fr. Matias assigned to a new
parish. The oratory’s first chaplain, Msgr. Luis Antonio B. Ungson came abroad
on May 4, 2003, since then many positive changes happened particularly in the
spiritual and ideological side of the faithful of Baay.
Msgr. Ungson fixed
first Friday and First Saturday Masses in addition to the regular Sunday and
Wednesday Masses were added. He opened the convent to lay people with the
formation of the regular “Almusalan Ed Kumbento”. This lay formation is an
informal meeting with the chaplain and the lectors, commentators, EEMs and
other church volunteers every after the Saturday Mass. Likewise, the informal
meetings brought closer ties for the Church Workers and brought in fresh ideas
for chapel improvements.
Church organizations
were formed to bring together Baay people and draw them near to the church. The
youth were reorganized and were tapped to have their share in the vocation, the
Catholic Youth Movement (CYM), was brought in to provide the Basic Catechism
for the youth. The Apostleship of Prayer – Baay Unit was also organized to tap
elderly women to lead in prayers the Baay community in addition to the existing
Rosary Group.
Amidst the
contributions brought by Msgr. Luis B. Ungson, the most significant is the
hosting of the Christ the King Festivities last November 26, 2006. This is the
first time in the history of the Solemnity of Christ the King that a Public
Oratory like the Chapel of the Resurrection is chosen to host such grand
Catholic celebration. And until the present time, Msgr. Ungson is still working
on for the spiritual needs and guidance of the faithful people at Br. Baay,
Lingayen Pangasinan.
E. THE HISTORY OF THE ST. ISIDORE
PARISH
The Parish of Labrador which is
named after St. Isidore the farmer was erected in 1755 and the first priest was
Fr. Antonious Rulz, O.P. The church and convent of wood and river stone was
built by Fr. Domingo de San Joaquin in 1771 and completed in 1786. The town
hall was built at the same time of the same materials. The population of the
town at that time was 1,004. During the early days of the Spanish
Conquistadores the municipalities of Sual and Labrador were but a single
Spanish Pueblo, the seat of the government having been at what is now barangay
Uyong.
In the year 1756 a political
rivalry between the east and west of the town caused an agitation for their
separation into two Municipalities of Labrador and Sual. This was finally
achieved in 1809 but the separation into 2 parishes did not occur until 1837.
In 1865 major repairs were done to the Church of Labrador. Its dimensions
(interior) are: Length 57.40 meters, Breadths 16.15 meters. The new cemetery on
the west of the town was built by Fr. Rufino Irazabal just before the
revolution and the chapel in the cemetery had to be left without a roof because
of the interruption.
Fr. Manuel Escrich
built a barrio chapel dedicated to San Pedro but it was destroyed by members of
another order who thought that the territory belonged to Zambales; however a
civil authority in Manila settled the matter in favor of the Dominicans. A
school was begun by Fr. Villanova about 1850 and enlarged in 1894 by Fr.
Irazabal. In 1842 Fr. Cassanova constructed a bridge of stone and bricks over
the brook of Uyong. This was destroyed by flood leaving only the pillars which
were used as the foundation of the late bridge. Fr. Suarez built a bridge in
Bongalon.
In April 1949 the
parish was placed under the administration of the Columban Fathers and has been
staffed by them until the present time. After World War II when the Columban
Fathers took over the administration of the parish in April 1949, the Church was
in every bad condition, due to war damage.
On October 30, 1950,
the dissindents (Huks) raided the municipality and looted and burned the
Municipal Building along with several other private houses and massacred many
civilians including a Columban priest Fr. Thomas Flynn. This caused the total
evacuation of the place leaving Labrador a ghost town during the night time.
However, this was not for long, for peace and order was finally restored when a
detachment of the Philippine Ground Forces was garrisoned in Labrador.
In May 1952, Fr.
Joseph Gallagher took over the administration of the parish and started work on
repairing the Church. He began by repairing the altars, setting them in their
original positions, replacing the wood carvings that has been damaged and
repainting each altar. Then the façade was plastered and painted. Although much
remained to be done, work was temporarily suspended on the church because it
was felt that the more immediate need was a Catholic High School for the
spiritual formation and instruction of his young parishioners.
In June, 1954, the
first year class was admitted, and since then the attendance has grown each
year, requiring additional rooms and gradually forcing him to leave the
refectory entirely to the school and to build another refectory nearby for
himself and assistant. In 1960 the administration of the school was placed in
hands of the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban. Many new buildings have been
constructed by the Sisters, and various improvements were made in the program.
The enrollment has now passed the 800 mark, and its graduates occupy important
positions both at home and abroad.
Since then, the
Columban missionaries served the parish for very long years until Fr. Jim
Sheehy, an Irish Columban missionary, finally turned it over to the care of the
diocesan priest. On 2011, Fr. Benigno Vinluan succeeded Fr. Jim Sheehy just on
time for the celebration of the Diocesan Christ the King but then it was short
because of the reshuffle that happened last June 2012. At present Fr. Mariolito
Ferrer, a native of Bugallon, succeeded Fr. Vinluan.
F. HISTORY OF THE ST. PETER
MARTYR PARISH
The town of Sual was founded by
Don Manuel Agustin, a Spaniard Civil erection was by Gov. Raphael de Maria
Aguilar by decree of May 20 1935 making it independent of Labrador by petition
of the inhabitants. Ecclesiastical erection as an independent parish, through
the efforts of Fr. Gabriel Perez, took place in 1837 under the vicarship of Fr.
Perez, who took possession in July of that year. It was at this timw, in the
1850’s an important port exporting rice to the Portugese colony of Macao. It
had customs, port and warehouse facilities of the government Anda port Captain.
There were 2000 families living near the port and many poor, miserable barrios
scattered far apart which were hard to administer. One parish tried to form a
nucleus in Laoac Grande where there is fertile soil but the project failed
because of the revolution.
The first church of
wood and sawali as built by Fr. Perez and finished in 1848 by Fr. Villanueva,
but before this, there existed a small chapel. The present stone church started
by Fr. Casas in 1833 by work was suspended by the Bishop. In 1891 the work was
continued by Fr. Eugenio Minguez who used stones from a warehouse in Portuguese
Point which has been given over to the Dominicans by the heirs of Reynals, the
original owners. The church was blessed on June 8, 1893. In 1897 De. Minguez
added a chore.
All but the walls
were destroyed by the bombing of 1945. A convent built in 1842 by Fr.
Gutierrez was destroyed in 1898. Fr. Minguez also built the road going to
Alaminos which was remarkable feat of engineering considering the money and
machinery available at that time, (1894).
The first
governadorcillo was Don Domingo Eugenio and the first Captain del Puerto was
Don Francisco Fernandez. The first parish priest was Fr. Gabriel Perez. The
first Municipal President was Don Luis F. Fernandez. The town is historical and
that it was from this town were Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo embarked for Hongkong to
comply with the requirement of the Pack of Biak na Bato and the place where
exhibition Maneuver of the famous Adm. Deweys squadron was made before
attacking Gen. Montojo’s Fleet at Manila Bay on August 13, 1899.
G. THE HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH
CATHEDRAL PARISH
The foundation of Pueblo San Jose
de Soyáng (first name of Alaminos ) in 1610 with its church and convent is owed
to the evangelical efforts of Recollect Fathers Fray Cristobal de Cristo and
Fray Andres del Espiritu Santo, founding fathers of Masinloc and Bolinao.
The place was named Suyang, but
the pioneers found out that this place was not suitable for settlement. They
have hardly built their homes, their chapel, and their casa tribunal when they
decided to pull their states and strike further south. To accommodate the
development of the town, it was transferred in 1734 to a few kilometres near
the seashore and renamed “Casborran” (the present Barangay Baley-a-daan). It
was here when a few hardy pioneers struck south from Bolinao along the gulf
coast to settle in an idyllic place they had chosen. The ring of hills that cup
the bay (now called Lucap) commands a spectacular panorama from the sea.
History records the names of
those pioneers as Don Gaspar Montoya, Don Nicholas San Jose, Don Domingo de
Guzman, and Don Nicolas Purification. It was only two years since they first
arrived, they arrived along the image of the patron “El Patriarca San Jose,”
and it was populated by Zambal and Pangasinense people with different language
and culture but came to peaceful terms to form the town.
In 1763, due to internal strife
between the ruling clans of Zambals and Pangasinenses, Casborran was burned to
the ground with its church and convent. The town was transferred near the
Alaminos River called “Sarapsap” but was again burned in 1814. Subsequently,
the town was transferred few kilometers from “Sarapsap” on top of a knoll
overlooking the vast prairie of Alaminos. The present church of Alaminos was
built in 1839 through the leadership of recollect friar Manuel Busquete.
Legend has it that once at
twilight time at the burial site, when an old half-blind grave digger was
excavating the ground preparing for a burial tomb for an internment set the
following day, a bearded old man tinkering with his tools appeared before the
grave digger uttering not a single word, the vision had only a smile on his
lips. To the grave digger this was not the first time it appeared. He had seen
that vision before but dismissing it as a product of his defective eye-sight or
a mere fragment of his imagination. He told nobody about it. But the second
time he saw the vision, he told everybody about it. Elders of San Jose, Bued,
and Casboran came to see the aforementioned apparition. For hours, they
waited but the image never appeared. Towards midnight however, they saw
pavement leading to the knoll a shadow of a man tinkering with his carpenter
tolls. Then after a while, the image disappeared leaving only the sound of
tools.
The more religiously
inclined of the group who saw the apparition identified the shadow as that of
St. Joseph and the sound of his carpenter tools. As the wish of St. Joseph to
have a church built on the spot. On the very spot where the image of San Jose,
the Carpenter appeared, a church was built. The Church stands on this chosen
spot today, a pivot which the town described arc. Thus, the present name of the
parish.
Alaminos used to be a part of
Bolinao which was one of the nine towns in the northernmost part of Zambales. A
certain Suyang led a group of Zambals in search for a greener pasture. The
group journeyed north from the mountains of Zambales, their native land.
Eventually, they came upon a shoreline and decided to settle there. Fishing
became their main source of livelihood. They named their settlement after their
leader — Suyang.
Presently, the parish’s
ecclesiastical territory has thirty-nine Barangays: Alos, Amandiego,
Amangbangan, Balangobong, Balayang, Bisocol, Bolaney, Baleyadaan, Bued,
Cabatuan, Cayucay, Dulacac, Landoc, Linmansangan, Lucap, Maawi, Macatiw,
Magsaysay, Mona, Palamis, Pandan, Pangapisan, Poblacion, Pocalpocal, Polo,
Quibuar, Sabangan, San Antonio, San Jose, San Roque, San Vicente, Santa Maria,
Tanaytay, Tangcarang, Tawintawin, Telbang.
When the Zambal forefathers had
set their eyes on the coastal plain of few kilometers down the bay, the level
clayey terrain was bracketed by two creeks that flowed to the sea, they decided
to settle there. It was about five meters above sea level, never flooded,
although fresh water always remained a problem. They baptized or named their
new settlement with a new name, Casborran.
It was not a scenic as Suyang up
in the hills; but it also commanded a fair view of hundred Islands, Alo,
Cabarruyan (now Anda). The level plain could easily be laid out with plazas and
streets. They built a substantial church with limestone and corals from the
shore. The ruins of Baley-a daan remain as relics of that labor of love. There,
they set up their patron, San Jose, and the sacred vessels that they took
along.
By the end of 1736, the
transfer had been accomplished. In eight years (by 1744) the barrio has grown
big enough to be inspected by a delegate from the Governor General in Manila,
Don Santiago Arzadon y Reballedo. They immediately applied for erection of
township. This was granted three years later (1747) when Casboran was
officially erected as Pueblo Civil independent of Bolinao. It was in this year
that a resident missionary was requested from the Superior of the Recollect
Augustinians. In three years (1754) they were finally visited by the Provincial
Superior who had also to inspect the new township of Balincaguin (now Mabini).
In a couple of years, Fr. Santiago dela Encarnacion assigned a roving
missionary, Fr. Geronimo Cristo to visit these new towns.
In 1758, trouble brewed not only
from the outside. There was tension between the Suyang pioneers and the new
arrivals from Pangasinan. A native of San Carlos, Pangasinan signaled a general
revolt and drove the Spaniards out of the province. He swooped on the sleeping
town of Casboram. The parish priest, Fr. Geronimo Cristo and Teniente Basal,
Don Nicolas Purification had barely time to run for their lives as people
escaped in all directions. The church, convent, casa tribunal and the houses
were burned down.
Casboran was now beaten, crushed,
and razed to the ground. The town was completely disorganized and families were
divided. The priest never returned and Casboran once more devolved to the
status of a barrio. The fall of Casboran resulted into conflicting parties. A
conference with the pioneers, the Zambal founders of the original Suyang was
imperative. Their gaze now turned to the South, there a flat treeless but
grassy plateau commanded a superb-view of the country side. It was bounded on
three sides by rivers, and is conveniently at the crossroads of the new
burgeoning towns of northern Zambales. More people gradually moved to this
plateau, most of them Pangasinenses
The men started to build the
church in 1766 and a new convent for the new parish priest, Toribio Raymundo,
who would be their resident parish priest for the whole generation of some 37
years from 1778-1815. In 1778, with the advent of Fr. Toribio, the parish was
formally established; the dream of the pioneers was finally established a town
and a parish.
A new hope of unity and harmony
was rekindled; their great expectations were picturesquely suggested by the
“cascading falls” not from the town expressed in Pangasinan as
“salap-sap.” One of the chronicles noted that the Spaniards used to
stumble on this word and preferred to pronounce it as “sarap-sap.” SARAPSAP
thus caught on and remained as the new name of the fourth and final choice of
locale for the present town of Alaminos. In 1769, when “sarapsap” began to rise
slowly and take from, Don Diego Ballesteros was elected Teniente Basal; with
him power and prestige slowly passed to the new aristocracy of the
Pangasinenses. In 1774, he was elected “Captain Basal” which is one notch
higher. New Capitanes took office as the town grew.
From 1814 to 1889, the people of
Sarapsap would be tested by fire; in 1814 and in 1834. In 1814, 1866 and 1879,
famine brought about by drought stalked the countryside; in 1864 cholera spread
and rage across the poblacion and barrios. Cadavers were rushed to the church;
some homes were abandoned; and all members of some family died. Two more times
(in 1889 and 1902) the terrible disease returned. In 1888 and 1889, render pest
wiped cattles, carabaos and horses.
The conflagration in 1834 razed
all public buildings in Sarapsap. A new recollect friar, Fr. Manuel Busquete
invited Maestro Cenon, a maestro de obras (architect-engineer) who built the
Church of Aguilar, to Sarapsap and the cornerstone was laid in 1840. Under Fr.
Busquete’s able command, men, women, and even children were mobilized to work.
He served for 16 years (1837-1853) but he did not live to see his obra maestra
finished. Under another Recollect Fr. Jose Tornos, the solid thick walls were
ready for roofing. Wooden rafters and nipa were provisionally laid for the
roof. In 1857, the new church housed a tabernacle, the patron St. Joseph.
According to the chronicle, some of the “principalias” who supported the
construction of the church were Don Leonardo Pansoy, Don Sebastian Abalos, Don
Felix de Castro, Don Pablo de Francia, Don Domingo Montemayor, Don Juan
Cayabyab, and it was not possible to list them all.
Father Tornos served as parish
priest of Sarapsap. When he fell sick, he left for Manila to recuperate, a
substitute, Fr. Mariano Cuartero, ministered the parish for three years
(1864-1867). Fr. Tornos returned in 1867 for another ten years in the town.
During his second term in 1872, Sarapsap was honored by a visit of the
seventy-seventh Governor General of the Philippines, Gov. Gen. Juan Alaminos y
Vivara to perpetuate that event, the name of the town was once more changed
–for the fourth time to ALAMINOS.
After the death of Fr. Tomas, an
acting parish priest, Fr. Juan Ortiz, governed Alaminos for two years. In 1879,
Fr. Victoriano Vereciano, a Recollect was sent to Alaminos and stayed for 14
years (1879-1893). He made the church his life project and with solicited
funds, he bought the best available hardwoods; Agaro from the forest of
Zaragoza and Tindalo from the forest of Alos. He changed the roof to galvanized
iron; constructed the choir loft at the back of the church; covered the whole
length of the floor with wood parquet; ceiling was painted and iron grills
graced the rail for communion and huge bell were hung in the tower.
The parishioners helped during
the entire construction by preparing meals for the construction force. Fr.
Vereciano also volunteered to finish the tribunal or municipal building began
by Capitan Felix de Castro but he died in May 17, 1893. Fr. Andres Romero
succeeded Fr. Vereciano. He had enlarged the cemetery and constructed the
chapel. When Philippine Revolution broke out, he was captured and executed. The
Katipunan had earlier been organized in Northern Pangasinan today was then
Northern Zambales. Alaminos belonged to the Province of Zambales since the
beginning. The capital, Iba, was many miles away.
Business and immigrants had been
discouraged by the inconvenience of travelling so far just to obtain official
papers like, registrations and permits. The former Gobernadorcillo Don
Francisco Reinoso spearheaded the movement to transfer the seat of government
to Sta. Cruz, which was closer – to Alaminos and the other towns of Zambales.
An appeal to the new American government quickly brought the question to a
satisfactory close. Alaminos and the rest of Northern Zambales became the
Western frontier of Pangasinan in 1903.
As the town people evolved from a
carefree fisher folks to landed gentry, the parish directed its concern to
children’s education. In 1901, a school for – secondary education, the
Institutio de San Jose was opened by the Municipal government, the first of its
kind in Pangasinan. It was affiliated to the Lyceum of Manila. The director was
Fr. Toribio Macazo of Villasis, Pangasinan. Among the alumni of this school are
Don Gonzalo Montemayor, and Don Felipe Soriano of Alos. Later, a school for
women was founded. It must be cited that this time, the Augustinian Recollects
had left the parish administration, and the local clergy has taken over. From
1926 onwards, Fr. Tomas Chanco improved the church towers; donated three bells;
erected the Statue of the Sacred Heart in 1930; fenced the church front yard with
concrete and steel malting; and tiled the church floor.
After Fr. Chanco retired, Fr.
Jaime Israel became Pastor briefly. He built the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
which was sculptured by the late Filipino artist and clergyman from Pangasinan,
Archbishop Mariano Madriaga. In the decades of the fifties and sixties, the
following became Parish priests of Alaminos: Fr. Julian Santiago; Fr. Mariano
Domingo, Fr. Eleuterio Itliong, who established the Royal carpenter Academy;
Fr. Ciriaco Bellote, who changed all the church pews and brought a new
tabernacle; Fr. Bernardo Imuan, who organized the St. Joseph Parish Council;
Fr. Pedro Sison who renovated the church ceiling; beautified the façade; put up
the Mt. Carmel chapel and crypt; installed the large stations of the Cross done
by Mr. Carlos Garcia.
Continuous improvements were
initiated by Msgr. Segundo Gotoc and Msgr. Antonio Aldana. But all there were
in preparation for the making of the church of St. Joseph into a Cathedral. In
June 28, 1985, Alaminos became a Diocese and its first Bishop, Bishop Jesus A.
Cabrera was – installed amidst great jubilation and solemnity. Since then,
Alaminians have seen the rise of the Alaminos Pastoral Center, the newly
renovated altar Made of Marble, then new sacristy, the marble flooring of the
church, and its repainting in 1995.
Assisting the perspective Bishop
Cabrera were Fathers Romeo Tandoc, Jeremy Ofo’ob, Arulraj Arputham and Lain
Mayo. With the aim of building Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC’s) among the
barangays, the team realized that the objective could only be achieved only if
the residents are truly evangelized.
Wars, Rebellions and Disasters
In 1758, trouble brewed not only
from the outside. There was tension between the Suyang pioneers and the new
arrivals from Pangasinan. A native of San Carlos, Pangasinan signaled a general
revolt and drove the Spaniards out of the province. He swooped on the sleeping
town of Casboran. The parish priest, Fr. Geronimo Cristo and Teniente Basal,
Don Nicolas Purification had barely time to run for their lives as people
escaped in all directions. The church, convent, casa tribunal and the houses
were burned down.
Casboran was then beaten,
crushed, and razed to the ground. The town was completely disorganized and
families were divided. The priest never returned and Casboran was once more
devolved to the status of a barrio. The fall of Casboran resulted into
conflicting parties. A conference with the pioneers, the Zambal founders of the
original Suyang was imperative. Their gaze now turned to the South, there a
flat treeless but grassy plateau commanded a superb-view of the country side.
It was bounded on three sides by rivers, and is conveniently at the crossroads
of the new burgeoning towns of northern Zambales. More people gradually moved
to this plateau, most of them Pangasinenses
From 1814 to 1889, the people of
Sarapsap were tested by fire; in 1814 and in 1834. In 1814, 1866 and 1879,
famine brought about by drought stalked the countryside; in 1864 cholera spread
and rage across the poblacion and barrios. Cadavers were rushed to the church;
some homes were abandoned; and all members of some family died. Two more times
(in 1889 and 1902) the terrible disease returned. In 1888 and 1889, render pest
wiped cattles, carabaos and horses.
The present church and parochial
house are made of brick manufactured in the same town. The first oven for
brick-making making was built under the supervision of Father Manuel Bosquete,
the first Recollect parish priest of this town and the edifices are the tallest
and most spacious in the province, which draws naturally any visitor's
attention. The church still attracts attention up to this day however, in the
1990 earthquake, the church’s edifice weakened especially the belfry. The bricks
outer covering had to be braced with iron and eventually cemented. At the
present, the bricks are no longer visible.
In the same way, Alaminos was one
of those badly hit in May 2009 by Typhoon Emong which damaged a lot of houses
in the city, including the roof of the main church. Due to this, several
organizations had requested for donations and aid to help in restoring the town
back to its former self. The said typhoon did not only rip off the roof and the
ceiling causing the retablo damaged. When the roof and the ceiling had been
restored, the retablo was also fixed. The present church evidently shows these
renovations.
The present program of the parish
is laid on their Pastoral Plan inaugurated last June of 2012. Here are the present
organizations and movements that help out in that said pastoral plan:
Commissions On Clergy, Liturgy & Worship, Formation/Education,
Social Services, Youth, Family & Life, Ecology, Cudi,
Migrants, Missions (Pms), World Apostolate Of Fatima, Mother Butler's Guild,
Apostleship Of Prayer, Catholic Women's League, Neo Catechumenate, Curcillo
Movement, Bayanihan Ni Kristo, Focolare, Couples For Christ, Prex, El Shaddai,
Spirit Of Love, Holy Trinity Prayer Group, Holy Face, Divine Mercy, Alliance Of
Two Hearts, Legion Of Mary, Knights Of Columbus, Holy Name Society.
As for the events celebrated,
refer to Appendix B. Here are the important events of the parish: In 1985, the
Parish of Alaminos was elevated to the status of Diocese and the first Bishop
was Most Rev. Jesus A. Cabrera, DD.
In 2007, the second Bishop in the
person of Most Rev. Marlo M. Peralta, DD, assumed as the second bishop of
Alaminos up to the present.
In October 1, 2009, the Diocese
of Alaminos launched the six-month celebration of the Quadricentennial
anniversary of the Saint Joseph Cathedral Parish. It was attended by religious
and civil officials and the faithful of the city of Alaminos. The Holy Mass was
presided over by Bishop Marlo Peralta, with Msgr. Rey Jose Ragudos, VG., Fr. Ed
Inacay, Fr. Mariolito Ferrer, Fr. Euly Cacho, Fr. Macky, Fr. Alfred, Fr.
Dennis, Fr. Tony, etc. After the mass, there was the flying of 400 balloons,
the unveiling and lighting of the Quadricentennial Logo and a fireworks display
courtesy of the City government of Alaminos.
In January 10-12, 2010, a three
day celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Diocese of Alaminos. The Papal
Nuncio visited the Diocese and lead the celebration of the Holy
In March 19, 2010, a solemn and
grand celebration of the 400th year of the introduction of Christianity to the
city of Alaminos by the pioneering Augustinian Recollects, starting from the
old Soyáng in the year 1610.
H. THE HISTORY OF ST. JAMES THE
GREAT PARISH
Uncertified records say that it
was an Italian missionary named Blessed Odoricos who, on his way to China, said
the first mass in Bolinao Bay when he took refuge during a storm in 1324. The
claim further mentions that he even baptized several locals making him the
first evangelizer in the Philippines.
Nevertheless, only
two hundred years later the first contact between the native people of Bolinao
and the Spaniards was given in the following account: “Juan de Salcedo, the
last of the Spanish Conquistadores sailed from Manila on May 20, 1572, and
three days later reached Bolinao at a place located on the island of Santiago
or Purro just across the channel from the present location. There Salcedo came
upon a Chinese Sampan which had captured a native chieftain and some of his men
with the intention of taking them along China. Salcedo liberated the natives
who were so thankful for the generous action of the Castilians that they
voluntarily pledged vassalage to the King of Spain.
Furthermore, local
unwritten history which had been handed down from generation to generation and
from mouth to mouth, narrates that the town of Bolinao started as a small
settlement or in what is now the site of Binabalian, a barrio in Santiago
Island. With a little over one hundred families, Captain Pedro Lombi founded
the town of Bolinao in 1575.
Sometime in the year
1585, Friar Esteban Marin, a Dominican Father, was assigned in Bolinao. He was
the first Spanish missionary to set foot in Bolinao. In the following years, he
baptized many people and organized them into a town. He worked in Bolinao until
the year when he was going to be appointed prior of the town of Batac, Ilocos
Norte.
By that time, the old
town of Bolinao was located on the coast of the province of Pangasinan, facing
Purra Island from which it is separated by a narrow canal. Bounded only by the
sea and the northern branches of the Cordillera Mountains of Zambales, the
small costal town was about 22 leagues distant from the administration of Iba,
while only 10 leagues separated it from Lingayen, the capital of Pangasinan.
Therefore, it was assigned to the Dominican Order which was in charge of
administration of this last province. In effect Rev. Fr. Lorenzo de San Miguel
was accepted in the chapter in 1596 and two years later, he and his appointed
vicar Fr. Tomas Castellar were assigned in the community.
From this day on up
to the beginning of the new century no references of other Dominican activities
in this area had been mentioned – possibly due to the fact that they left the
place in as much as in the successive chapters. During this period, the
Poblacion of Bolinao grew to a respectable population of 5699 inhabitants and
3344 tribute payers. In the year of 1600 however, Dominican Fathers came back
with appointment of Fr. Francisco Martinez as Superior of the Convent of
Bolinao.
In 1602, Fr. Estacio
Ortiz took over. Fathers like Antonio Figueroa were the very first sowers of
the seeds of the Gospel in this town. They ended their missionary work in 1607.
After the Dominican
Fathers left Bolinao, the illustrious Governor and Captain General Rodrigo de
Rivera and the Dean of the Metropolitan Church requested the Recoletos de San
Augustin to take over the mission already begun by the Dominicans. Immediately
thereafter Fr. Jeronimo de Cristo and Fr. Andres del Espiritu Santo rallied to
the call and upon arrival in this island town of Bolinao began to undertake the
task of spreading the Gospel and religious doctrines. They taught the people by
precepts and gave an example of Christian life and endured all kinds of
privations and great hardships which such strength of will that the pagans were
easily convinced to the Christian religion. In due time, these hardworking
missionaries began to reap the fruits of their toils and privations when over
1800 infidels accepted the sweet yoke of the Lord and were regenerated by the
water of baptism.
In the course of
time, around 1609, due to piratical molestations, the town was transferred to
the mainland. The present site is near Libsong where clear spring kept on
gushing. Just a stone’s throw about 30 meters from there, the Roman Catholic
Church was erected.
The church tower of
Bolinao was the tallest in Pangasinan, if not in entire Northern Luzon. Its
height measured seventy-five feet. But an earthquake in 1788 toppled about half
of the tower. In addition to that, the church convent was accidentally burned
in 1819.
Uncertified records say that it
was an Italian missionary named Blessed Odorico who, on his way to china, said
the first mass in Bolinao Bay when he took refuge during a storm in 1324. The
claim further mentions that he even baptized several locals making him the
first evangelizer in the Philippines.
Nevertheless, only two hundred
years later the first contact between the native people of Bolinao and the
Spaniards was given in the following account: “Juan de Salcedo, the last of the
Spanish Conquistadores sailed from Manila on May 20, 1572, and three days later
reached Bolinao at a place located on the island of Santiago or Purro just
across the channel from the present location. There Salcedo came upon a Chinese
Sampan which had captured a native chieftain and some of his men with the
intention of taking them along China. Salcedo liberated the natives who were so
thankful for the generous action of the Castilians that they voluntarily
pledged vassalage to the King of Spain.”
Furthermore, local unwritten
history which had been handed down from generation to generation and from mouth
to mouth, narrates that the town of Bolinao started as a small settlement or in
what is now the site of Binabalian, a barrio in Santiago Island. With a little
over one hundred families, Captain Pedro Lombi founded the town of Bolinao in
1575.
Sometime in the year 1585, Friar
Esteban Marin, a Dominican Father, was assigned in Bolinao. He was the first
Spanish missionary to set foot in Bolinao. In the following years, he baptized
many people and organized them into a town. He worked in Bolinao until the year
1587 when he was going to be appointed prior of the town of Batac, Ilocos
Norte.
By that time, the old town of
Bolinao was located on the coast of the province of Pangasinan, facing Purra
Island from which it is separated by a narrow canal. Bounded only by the sea
and the northern branches of the Cordillera Mountains of Zambales, the small
coastal town was about 22 leagues distant from the administration of Iba, while
only 10 leagues separated it from Lingayen, the capital of Pangasinan.
Therefore, it was assigned to the Dominican Order which was in charge of
administration of this last province. In effect Rev. Fr. Lorenzo de San Miguel
was accepted in the chapter in 1596 and two years later, he and his appointed
vicar Fr. Tomas Castellar were assigned in the community.
From this day on up to the
beginning of the new century no references of other Dominican activities in
this area had been mentioned – possibly due to the fact that they left the
place in as much as in the successive chapters. During this period, the
Poblacion of Bolinao grew to a respectable population of 5699 inhabitants and
3344 tribute payers.
In the year of 1600 however,
Dominican Fathers came back with appointment of Fr. Francisco Martinez as
Superior of the Convent of Bolinao. In 1602, Fr. Estacio Ortiz took over.
Fathers like Antonio Figueroa were the very first sowers of the seeds of the
Gospel in this town. They ended their missionary work in 1607.
After the Dominican Fathers left
Bolinao, the illustrious Governor and Captain General Rodrigo de Rivera and the
Dean of the Metropolitan Church requested the Recoletos de San Augustin to take
over the mission already begun by the Dominicans. Immediately thereafter Fr.
Jeronimo de Cristo and Fr. Andre Del Espiritu Santo rallied to the call and
upon arrival in this island town of Bolinao began to undertake the task of
spreading the Gospel and religious doctrines. They taught the people by
precepts and gave an example of life and endured all kinds of privations and
great hardships which such strength of will that the pagans were easily
convinced to the Christian religion. In due time, these hardworking
missionaries began to reap the fruits toils and privations when over 1800
infidels accepted the sweet yoke of the Lord and were regenerated by the water
of baptism.
In the course of time, around
1609, due to piratical molestations, the town was transferred to the mainland.
The present site is near Libsong where clear spring kept on gushing. Just a
stone’s throw about 30 meters from there, the Roman Catholic Church was
erected.
The church tower of Bolinao was
the tallest in Pangasinan, if not in entire Northern Luzon. Its height measured
seventy-five feet. But an earthquake in 1788 toppled about half of the tower.
In addition to that, the church convent was accidentally burned, in 1819. In 1974, finally the first priest was ordained in the parish of Bolinao.
All the years before as part of
the Diocese of Lingayen, then in 1985, Bolinao finally became a parish of the
newly installed Diocese of Alaminos.
2008 then launched the
celebration of 400 years anniversary as a parish. Only one year later, on 7th
of May, 2009 the church was heavily devastated by typhoon Emong and in a matter
of fact is still undergoing repair and major renovations to restore the
grandness of its historical edifice.
Sometime in 1585 Fr. Esteban
Marin, an Augustinian Friar, was the very first missionary ever to set foot in
Bolinao, an island town, which he formed out of the People he baptized. He
worked there till 1587, when he was appointed Prior of the town of Batac,
Ilocos Norte. Bolinao was then assigned to the Dominican Fathers who took
charge of it till 1599. In 1600, however, the Augustinian Fathers came back
with Fr. Francisco Martinez as their superior. In 1602 Fr. Estacio Ortiz took
over, and later on, Fr. Antonio Figueroa. The Augustinian Fathers were the very
first sowers of the seeds of the Gospel in this town. They ended their missionary
work in 1607.
With their departure, the Most
Illustrious Governor and Capt. General Rodrigo de Rivera and the Dean of the
Metropolitan Church requested the Recoletos de San Juan Agustin Fathers to take
over the work begun by the Augustinian Fathers. Immediately, thereafter, Father
Jeronimo de Cristo and Fr. Andre Del Espiritu Santo rallied to the call and
upon arrival at this island, town of Bolinao, they began to undertake the great
work of spreading the Gospel, teaching the people by precepts and the best
example of their life. In due time, these missionaries began to reap the fruits
of their toils and sacrifices when over 1600 infidels were baptized.
Around 1609, clue to piratical
molestation, the town was transferred to the mainland, where it presently
exists. Records show that the Recoletos de San Agustin Fathers administered
Bolinao parish from 1609-1679. From 1679 to 1712, the Dominican Fathers took
over again the administration of the parish. In 1749, the Recoletos de San
Agustin Fathers came back to Bolinao, and took charge of the parish up to about
1784. From then on, different priests, administered Bolinao parish up to the
present.
In April 18, 1974,
finally the first priest who was born and grew in this place was ordained in
the parish of Bolinao. His name is Rev. Fr. GeureroCarnioClavero.
All the years before as part of
the Diocese of Lingayen, then in 1985, Bolinao finally became part of the newly
installed Diocese of Alaminos.
In 2008 celebration of 400 years
anniversary as a parish was launched. Only one year later, on 7th of May 2009
the church was heavily devastated by typhoon Emong and it is still undergoing
repair and major renovations to restore the grandness of its historical
edifice. At this present time at the year of the Lord the administrator of St
James the Great Parish is Fr. Bayani and the co-pastor is Divine Martin. The
parish has a program of feeding program for the street children in every
barangay of Bolinao. In pastoral activities they are focusing in BEC’s by going
to barangay in evangelizing the people. In line with this activity every year
the barangay hosting small Christ the King. This coming October the parish will
publish the first New Testament Bible in Bolinao dialect particularly the four
Gospels.
The lay people of Bolinao have
strong devotion to Senior Santiago especially during his feast day. There are
also people came from different town to attend his feast day because they
believe that Senior Santiago is performing miracles in their life. In doing
this devotion it is a big help for them in nourishing their faith in God.
I. THE HISTORY OF ST. FABIAN POPE
AND MARTYR PARISH [13]
A coastal town, San Fabián is
located in northern Pangasinán. Its población lies on a flat and sandy
terrain near the mouth of the Añgalacán River, locally known as Cayañga.
The town of Santo Tomás (La Unión) bound it on the north; Sison on the
northeast; Pozorrubio on the east; San Jacinto and Mañgaldán on the south and
the Lingayén Gulf on the west.
The original
settlement of what is now the town of San Fabián was in barangay Anguio
situated some three kilometers from the town's población, on the road leading
to San Jacinto. (The word "anguio" means "a tree of most
bitter fruit").
In its November 16, 1899 issue,
the periodical Libertas related that numerous children attended the
schools of the población. Moreover, the parish priest who solicitously
watched over the instruction of the youth supported some students in the barrio
schools.
As can be read in the statistics
submitted annually by the missionaries to their superiors, the Catholic
population of San Fabián grew steadily through the years. This is
excepting the years following 1868 when a big part of its territory having been
separated to form the new town of Alava, now, Sison, San Fabián lost almost
half of its populace. In 1751, the town had a population of 1,331; in
1758: 2,163; in 1800: 2,044; in 1848: 10,390; in 1875: 6,088; and in 1897:
10,180. There were 99 Baptisms in 1804 and 480 in 1888.
With the end of the Spanish era
came the departure of the missionaries from the country, including the last
Spanish parish priest of San Fabián, Fr. Juan Terrés (1890-1898); Filipino
priests took their place. The American regime then began.
As far as ecclesiastical history
is concerned, this period is characterized by the spread of Aglipayanism
inspired by the nationalist movement. Gregorio Aglipay, a Filipino
priest from Ilocos Norte who led the schism attracted many followers, including
those from some Pangasinán towns.
The parish priests of San Fabián
during this time were: Fr. Domingo de Vera, purportedly a former chaplain of
the Katipunan, the first Filipino pastor of the parish who stayed from
1899 to 1920; Fr. Agripino Bañez (1920-1926); Fr. Alejandro Ignacio (1926-1927)
and Fr. Benigno Jiménez (1927-1935) who later built his own independent church
but then retracted and returned to the Catholic fold.
It was while Fr. Posadas was
pastor when the Legion of Mary was organized in the parish. After Fr.
Posadas, came Fr. Domingo Montano (1952-1955) who afterwards joined the
Capuchin Order. His assistant was Fr. José Velasco. The Adoracion
Nocturna Filipina in San Fabián traces its origin to Fr. Montano's time.
Next to him was Fr. Francisco Gago (1955-1968). During his time the
church tower was renovated. It was also at this time that the Cursillo
Movement became in vogue in the Archdiocese. Many San Fabián parishioners
will remember having taken part in this movement. For some months Fr.
Eugenio de Vera assisted him until the coming of Fr. Rufino López. In the
parish, the Catholic Women's League, the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name
Society were established at this period.
The Second Vatican Council opened
in 1962, marking the dawn of a new age for the Church. It instituted
needed reforms to keep the Church abreast with the developments of the modern
world. It caused the emergence of many and varied apostolates and
movements to meet the demands of the times. It awakened the laity to the
consciousness of their identity and thus became more and more involved in the
life and activity of the Church. This is true with the parishioners in
San Fabián.
Fr. Rufino López, (1968-1970)
eventually became the pastor. It was during his incumbency in 1969 that
the Catholic School of the parish, the Archdiocesan School of San Fabián, was
established. Msgr. Oscar Aquino, who together with the parishioners worked
for the school's government recognition, was the first Director and Mr. Floro
Torres the first principal. From 1977 to 1981, Msgr. Pedro Sison was designated
pastor.
Near the end of the millennium,
the San Fabian Couples for Christ and the Mother Butler's Guild came into
being. Also during his tenure the Charismatic Renewal Movement in the parish
flourished for a time but gradually weakened with the eventual organization in
the different barangays of the Basic Ecclesial Communities whose formation is the
thrust of the Archdiocese's present evangelization program.
During Msgr. Magno’s tenure,
several priests came to help out in the parish during weekends. It was
only Msgr. Segundo Gotoc though who had a formal appointment as a guest priest
of the parish.
Fr. Oliver Mendoza succeeded
Msgr. Magno in 2003 upon the latter’s transfer to Dagupan. Fr. Abraham
Esquig, a native son of San Fabian, retired in 2006, has been helping out in
the parish until today. There were also several deacons assigned in the Parish
to help in the pastoral work and to undergo diaconate program prior to their
ordination to the priesthood. They were: Rev. Jim Cerezo (2004), Rev. Reydentor
Mejia (2005), Rev. Julius Cuison (2006), Rev. Eric Galivo (2007), Rev. Estephen
Mark Espinoza (2009) and Rev. Roland Anthony Gavina (2010). In 2009, Fr. Felipe
Matias was assigned in the parish to help in the pastoral and spiritual needs
of the people. Last March 2012, he was transferred at the retirement house of
the clergy. And in May 2012, Fr. Mario Morales, the former rector of Mary Help
of Christians College Seminary, was transferred in the parish of St. Fabian.
In August 14, 2012, Msgr. Oliver
Mendoza was invested as Papal chaplain together with Msgr. Manuel Bravo.
In a letter dated
January 9, 1716, the Provincial of the Dominican Fathers petitioned the royal
government for the foundation of San Fabián "for the better administration
of the natives, comfort of travelers and to stave off the assaults of the pagan
Igorots who dwell in its vicinity." There is another reason,
however. Due to its excellent climate, the Dominicans would like to make
it a place of an infirmary and house of convalescence where they could rest or
regain their strength when they are sick.
On March 21, 1717, the petition
was granted. The permit was issued by acting Governor General José
Torralba, pending the arrival of the proprietary Governor, Fernando Bustamante
who came in August of that year. To make the permit effective, the
settlement in Anguio moved to the present site. The town was named after
its patron, Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr. And Anguio remained just a
barangay.
San Fabián appears for the first
time in the Acts of the Dominican Provincial Chapter held in Manila in
1718. It is therefore very probable that San Fabián became a vicariate
(or parish) on this year. The Chapter appointed Fr. Andrés Caballero
(1718-1720) as its first vicar (parish priest). The succeeding Chapter of
1720 assigned as vicar Fr. Manuel del Río (1720-1721, 1729-1732) who afterwards
became Provincial of the Dominican Order and later as bishop-elect of Nueva
Segovia.
Soon after the town's
foundation, the first church was built. The construction of the present
church was completed shortly after the British invasion (1762-1765). Fr.
Valentín Marín, O.P. says: "The church, all of brick, including the main
altar was built by Fray Francisco Ferrer, a Dominican lay brother, who was an
excellent carpenter, after the British invasion. The convent and belfry
were also of brick." Fr. Raymundo Suárez, O.P. adds that this
Brother is reputed to have also directed the construction of the imposing bell
tower of the church in Lingayén.
Fr. Manuel Mora,
Secretary of the Provincial during the latter's visitation in 1804, reports
that in front of the convent there was a brick building where Bishop Bernardo
Ustáriz could stay. The Bishop donated funds for the construction of this
building, which also served as the casa de comunidad. Part of the convent was
converted into classrooms. It was also during Fr. Lopéz's tenure that
partial renovation of the front part of the convent, initiated by Fr. Gago, was
made. His assistant was Fr. Peter Aquino whose appointment extended to
the next pastor.
Msgr. Antonio Palma was appointed
parish priest in 1970. Among his projects was the improvement of the
church altar. He did not stay long. Fr. Benigno Serafica, assisted
by Fr. José Tapia, replaced him in 1972. After a two-year stint in the
parish Fr. Serafica was succeeded by Msgr. Oscar Aquino who was pastor from
1974 to 1977. His assistants were Msgr. Emilio Abalos and Fr. Pedro
Quirós, both natives of the town. As an offshoot of the Cursillo
Movement, other similar movements, like the Bayanihan Movement, came into
existence in the Archdiocese during this time.
Msgr. Pedro Sison carried on the
work of improvements on the church on time for the Christ the King
celebrations, which took place in San Fabián in 1977. During his term,
the Mt. Carmel Chapel and bone repository was constructed. After Msgr. Sison,
came a native of the town, Fr. Abraham Esquig (1981-1987). He will
be remembered for having introduced the Shalom Movement in the
parish. One of the church projects during his time was the installation
of the canopy on the church façade.
In 1987, Msgr. Rafael Magno took
over as parish priest and served the parish for the next sixteen years.
In the course of this period restorations and improvements in the church and
convent continued. The construction of the parish center dates back to
his time. It was during his term that the town became the venue of the
Christ the King Vicariate celebration in 1996.
Fr. Mendoza prepared the people
and made further improvements on the church, including the restoration of the
bell tower, for the Vicariate III Christ the King celebrations in the town in
November 2003.
The belfry was destroyed by bombs
during the end of WWII. It now stands however, as a testament to the hard work
and dedication of the parishioners of San Fabian, as well as their deep faith
and trust in the providence and mercy of God. The reconstruction of the belfry
was finished in March 2004.
Since Fr. Oliver Mendoza took
over as pastor, there were many projects that he has accomplished. The latest
of which is the reconstruction of the “retablo.” The Parish of St. Fabian, Pope
and Martyr Parish is moving forward with the hope and strong faith and trust in
God’s mercy. For in the end, they are but instruments of God, only doing God’s
work, living God’s life.
During the Hispano-American war
in 1898 the shelling did not spare the San Fabián church and the convent
causing 2,200 pesos in damage, quite an amount at that time!
In the latter part of
the American regime, the Diocese saw the flourishing of the organizations of
Catholic Action. At this time, these were the parish priests of San
Fabián: Msgr. Licerio Barnachea (1935-1937) who did not reside in
the parish which was managed by his assistant; Fr. José Valerio (1937-1939),
Msgr. Barnachea’s assistant who eventually succeeded him and during whose time
the Apostleship of Prayer was organized in San Fabián and Fr. Juan Bello
(1939-1940).
In 1940, Fr. Miguel Busque was
appointed pastor. In December of the following year World War II erupted
and the Japanese occupation began, interrupting religious services. The
naval bombardments during the American-Japanese war for liberation in the early
days of January 1945 significantly damaged the church and practically destroyed
the convent; the bell tower crumbled in ruins. For a time, Fr.
Resurreción Parica assisted Fr. Busque.
In 1856, the church and the
convent were burned. Giving the reason, Fr. Suárez writes:
"For this the sacristan was held responsible because, having gone up to
the tower to ring the bell for the curfew at 10 o'clock in the evening, he
carelessly threw the cigarette-end on the nipa roofing which, as a result, caught
fire at once."
As a consequence of the fire, it
could clearly be appreciated that the walls of the church were built all at
once rather than by stages as was often the case in the building of churches
during the colonial times. One could also see that its construction was
directed and supervised by a single man who must have been well acquainted with
architectural rules.
The strong earthquake of March
16, 1892 wrought considerable damage on the church and convent but this was
eventually fixed. The mortar and stone tribunal (municipal building)
constructed in 1822 was also badly shaken and almost ruined by the tremors.
Fr. Juan Gutiérrez (1859-1862)
supervised the rebuilding of the church between 1857 and 1860. In so
doing, the sanctuary was lengthened. The outcome was that the cruciform
falls almost at the middle making it a narrow and disproportionately long
church. The reconstructed church measures 59.85 meters long and 11.40
meters wide; at the cruciform it is 20 meters.
Around l863, under the guidance
of Fr. Ramón Fernández (1863-1866) the convent was repaired. Proficient
in medicine, he had been for many years the parish priest in Mañgaldán where he
accomplished so many projects. In rebuilding the convent, he spent much
money and exerted great efforts and even so was unable to produce a solid and
lasting structure. He gained an enviable reputation as a physician and
parish priest, but failed in San Fabián both as an architect and as economist.
In 1830, Fr. Domingo de la Peña
built the cemetery fenced with solid brick walls, located south of the
town. Having administered the parish from 1802 to 1835, he was the
longest serving parish priest of San Fabián.
Since the church and convent are
old and need not only maintenance but also constant repair and improvements,
these concerns continuously occupied the coming pastors, just as they did their
predecessors. And because World War II caused such destruction on these
buildings, the following pastors had much more to do in these concerns.
In the arduous task of rebuilding
and improving the church, the parishioners under the leadership of their
pastors were always ready with their generous assistance. They provided
the funds and even offered their expertise. Since 1955, Engr. Santiago
Alhambra, one of the parish lay leaders, does much of the planning and the
supervision work. During the term of Fr. Francisco Posadas (1944-1952) who took
over Fr. Busque, the church and portion of the convent were repaired out of the
people's contributions and the War Damage Rehabilitation Funds. For the
first time, San Fabián was host for the Diocesan celebrations of the Feast of
Christ the King in 1951. Fr. Emeterio Domagas assisted Fr. Posadas.
These are the lists of
renovations and constructions in the parish under Fr. Oliver’s Initiative
namely: Restoration of the Belfry, Construction of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel
of the Divine Mercy, Installation of the Church Public Address System, Concreting
of the Church Pathway (Left Wing), Concreting of the Church Pathway (Right
Wing), Construction of the Baptistery, Construction of the Covered Pathway
connecting the church and the Parish Center, Mt. Carmel Chapel and the Parish
Office, Construction of the Garden of the Resurrection, Repair of the Choir
Loft, Repair of the Parish Center, Repair of the Church Pews, Repair of the
Rectory, Repair of the Rectory Roof, Reconstruction of “Retablo”
In March 5-7, 2004, the Parish
Renewal Experience (PREX) adult formation program was brought to the parish by
Rev. Fr. Francisco Ungria Jr., a native son of San Fabian but works in the
Archdiocese of Manila. The PREX as a formation program provides a basic adult
catechesis on the key areas of Catholic life.
There are BECs established in the
various Barangays of the Parish. These small communities of families hold
regular weekly prayer meetings. Some have come up with community projects such
as the repair of the Barangay chapels, making of Water Impounding system, and
some Livelihood Programs to benefit the BEC family members.
The BEC Parish Coordinators are:
MR. ANTONIO SUPREMIDO, MR. JOEY ESTANDARTE, MR. MARCOS GENERAO. You can
contact and coordinate with them regarding the formation of BECs in your
Barangay.
The Knights of Columbus of the
Parish of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, Council 5739 has been helping and
lending their support to the twenty-five families of Binday, San Fabian,
Pangasinan in building their houses in the newly constructed Holy Family
Village. The floodwaters of Typhoon Pepeng in 2009 have destroyed
and washed away their houses and lands. They have also been planting trees for
the Theology Seminary in Brgy. Palapad, San Fabian, Pangasinan. Knights of
Columbus Council 5739 of the Parish of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr is led by
Grand Knight James Gutay.
Three days during the weekdays,
and two days of these are on the first week of the month, that the church is
full of parishioners for the celebration of the Holy Mass. These are the Masses
on Wednesdays, and the First Friday and First Saturday of the month. The novena
to the Mother of Perpetual Help is celebrated every Wednesday before the
afternoon Mass; the devotion to the Sacred Heart every first Friday of the
month; the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary every first Saturdays of
the month. These popular devotions seem to arouse a greater sense of love and
devotion to Jesus and His mother.
The Parish is also advocating the
devotion to the Divine Mercy. After how many years of arduous effort and work
of Fr. Oliver in collaboration with the lay faithful, the devotion to the
Divine Mercy continuous to flourish in the parish.
Every Holy Wednesday, Fr. Oliver
started the Stations on the Cross on the mountainous part of San Fabian. It
starts from Lekep Tomeeng up to Inmalog. And there is a dramatization of every
station done by the youth.
J. THE HISTORY OF ST. HYACINTH
PARISH
The town San Jacinto had its name
from “San Jacinto de Kawili.” This was the fourth town in Pangasinan
evangelized by the Dominicans. According to Padre Aduarte, Dominican friar,
in his writing in the parish publication entitled Probinsiya del Santissimo Rosario,
in the year 1598 the parish had already its church. This fact can be attested
by the Actas of the Capitulo Provincial in the year 1604. The
parish was under the visitation and care of the missionaries of Mangaldan.
In the year 1643, Padre Francisco
Ballesteros, S.T.L. was appointed Presidente of San Jacinto. He was
given the title Vicario of the Capitulo in the year 1645. Several
years after, the parish was under the care of the missionaries of Mangaldan and
Manaoag. In the year 1669, the parish had already its own Vicario.
According to Padre Juarez, San
Jacinto was one of the best towns in Pangasinan. The people were good. The
parish church’s and the town’s location was perfect. They even had a good
source of water and it tastes good. The town was known as a perfect place because
of its people and natural resources. This town was also famous for its being
grateful to God for having Dominican priests and, also, its loyalty to Spain.
As stated in the first paragraph,
in 1598, the parish had its church. However, in the year 1653, there was the
church built in cement which was believed as the church destroyed by a big fire
after the year 1719. In the year 1723, there were those who say that in the
year 1721 the building of a new church was started to replace the burned
church. The church was built in the year 1731. The church was big and
beautiful. It was built on a very strong foundation. An earthquake torn the
facade of the church in the year 1848. In the year 1892, another earthquake
totally destroyed the church. It was under the administration of Padre Revilla
that a camarin church with a ladrillo wall was constructed.
The wall made of ladrillo of
the cemetery was created during the time of Padre Julian Lopez in 1878. There
were two cemeteries. The first was at the side of the church which was not
being used. The second was located half kilometer away from the church.
The parish convent was slightly
damaged by the 1892 earthquake. It was renovated by Padre Revilla. In the
earlier times, this parish had two schools and two houses for the teachers.
It was in this parish that the Confradia
de Sto. Rosario was also established. This organization had the devotion to
the Holy Rosary.
The name of the Parish is St.
Hyacinth. It was named after a Dominican priest who saved the image of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and the Blessed Sacrament when the church was about to be
consumed by fire.
The parish has 17 barangays. Its
neighboring towns are Manaoag, San Fabian, Mangaldan and Pozzurobio.
The present church building is a
new structure. It was built in the early 19th Century. The front of the new
church was destroyed by 1991 killer earthquake. It was reconstructed several
days after such painful event.
The parish has its Catholic
School which is being renovated and improved from time to time. At present, the
school director is Fr. Democritu Umagtam.
There is a new parish rectory
which was built by Fr. Leo Macaraeg and improved by Fr. Genaro “Jijune”
Herramia. The parish church was renovated and improved by both priests
including the surroundings of the church.
The old convent which was rebuilt
under Fr. Herramia is where the present parish, Fr. Laforteza Jr., lives. The
parish personnel stay at the new convent.
The present parish priest, Fr.
Jose Laforteza Jr., reconstructed the ceiling of the altar and its sidewalls.
The people of San Jacinto are
people of popular devotions. They have the following devotions: Novena to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Black Nazarene
and Pilgrimages.
K. THE HISTORY OF THE IMMACULATE
CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL
The town of Urdaneta is
comparatively the youngest of all surrounding towns of Manaoag, Sta. Barbara
and Villasis. About the end of the 17thentury, people from Manaoag, Sta.
Barbara and Villasis established their residence in what is now the Poblacion
of Urdaneta. By that time, people from Ilocos Sur and La Union were arriving in
this place. Many of these people coming from Ilocos provinces brought their
families with them. A man from Santa, Ilocos Sur by the name of Tomas Mangzano
arrived. By then, there was enough number to establish a separate town. The
authority of Manaoag came and formally founded the town of Urdaneta placing
Tomas Mangzano as the head of the Barangay
Tomas Mangzano, who was a
recognized leader, was credited with the honor of being the founder of the
town. This town was founded on January 8, 1858. Portion of barrios from
surrounding towns of Asingan, Villasis, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Mangaldan,
Manaoag and Binalonan comprised its territorial boundaries. It was accepted by
the Dominicans as a parish in 1863. The name of Urdaneta was chosen as the name
of the town and now a City in honor of the priest Andres de Urdaneta.
The Diocese of Urdaneta was
created and erected on January 12, 1985, and its first Bishop, the Most Rev.
Pedro G. Magugat, MSC, DD took possession and was installed as its Bishop on
June 29, 1985. On May 5, 1990, the Diocese became vacant with the untimely
death of Bishop Magugat. The second bishop, the Most Rev. Jesus C. Galang, DD
took possession of the Diocese and was installed as its Bishop on February 1992
until his untimely demise on September 16, 2004. The incumbent bishop, the Most
Rev. Jacinto A. Jose, DD took possession of the Diocese and was installed as
its Bishop on December 31, 2005.
The first church was a “camarin”—
a small structure comparable to the huts as usually found in the hinterlands
nowadays. A Dominican friar from Manaoag came after to celebrate mass and
baptized infants. It was Fr. Nicolas Manrique Alonzo who transferred the old
“camarin”, which used to serve as the house of worship to the site where the
first church of the town was later built.
The construction of the old
church was started by Fr. Rafael Cano on March 4, 1884. When the church
was finished, it was 77.10 meters long and 23.3 meters wide and had three
naves. It was however, destroyed by the American bombings in January 1945
during the Second World War. The ruins of this same church became the place
where the newly established community high school was.
When the Filipino-Spanish
revolution came, there was a split among Filipino priests. Those who were
sympathetic with Spain remained with the Catholic Church. Others joined the
Philippine Independent Church founded by Gregorio Aglipay.
When the
battle between the advancing U.S. Liberation troops and the retreating Japanese
came up, the church was shelltorn.
Efforts of massive rehabilitation
on the town and the church promptly transpired as the Americans granted
political independence to the Philippines. Mass was celebrated inside the
convent while a small provisionary church was put up. Then, in the fifties,
Msgr. Emilio Cinense laid the foundation for the present church. Fr. Tomas
Santos further improved the church while Fr. Antonio Palma rebuilt the belfry
and some portions of the church. In the later seventies, Fr. Elpidio Sison and
Fr. Rufino Lopez spearheaded the parishioners, they were able to change the
floor tiles, purchased new benches and improved the sacristy. Msgr. Amado
Lopez’ term was also characterized by further improvement of the church’s
facilities. He improved and beautified the small altar where the Blessed
Sacrament was mounted, and the baptistry.
Fr. Geronimo Marcelino made the
church’s physical enhancements like the new Eucharistic Chapel, and repairing
the church and tower.
Under the term of Fr. Primo
Garcia, who took over in April, 1995 the parish saw more renovations such as
the widening of both wings, utilizing marble for the church flooring, the
sprucing up of the side altar and the building of the Eucharistic Chapel. The
church had also been repainted; a new parking lot added and more significantly,
a new Parish Pastoral Center had risen.
Today, Immaculate
Conception Parish is the Seat of the Diocese with the Most Rev. Jacinto A.
Jose, DD as the Ordinary.
L. THE HISTORY OF ST. ANTHONY
ABBOT PARISH
Sweet as honeybee, the town of
Villasis on the eastern part of Pangasinan was then known as “Panduyucan”,
from the term uyucan or hordes of bees. Then a barrio of Malasiqui in
the seventeenth century, Panduyucan provided honey which attracted the
Spaniards and inhabitants of other provinces. Since Panduyucan was then luring
migrants from Ilocos to settle and populate the area in leaps and bounds, it
called the attention of the first Filipino Archbishop and Governor-General, Don
Miguel Ezpeleta, Bishop of Cebu, to convert the barrio into a town.
Villasis started to become a
district politico-civil and ecclesiastical entity, when, on the initiative of
Fr. Fernando de Sta. Maria, backed by the principalia of Malasiqui, the
Most Re. Miguel Lino de Ezpeleta, Bishop of Cebu and acting Governor-General of
the Philippines, granted on October 18, 1759, the required license for founding
a new town. Being thinly populated and to attract some fugitives from justice
who were wandering in the nearby forest, he ordered the Alcalde Mayor of
Pangasinan to publish a decree of amnesty in favor of any delinquent, who,
fleeing from justice, would have taken to the hills.
They were granted the grace of
being able to settle in the area; were promised fair treatment in the King’s
name, and, in addition to this, a general pardon for whatever offenses they
were guilty of. The decree empowered them at the same time, to elect the
ministers of justice needed for the good and orderly government of a future
town.
Four days later, on October 22,
Fr. Sta. Maria, having presented to the Provincial of the Dominican Order his
plans, petitioned for a priest to take care of the spiritual needs of the
people who were to live in the new town. Thus, in accordance of the provision
of the decree, the Gobernadorcillo and other town officials elected on
May 13, 1760. And on August 28 of the same year, Fr. Jose Azcarate was
appointed pastor of the town.
The boundaries of Villasis are
described by Fr. Valentine Marin in his Ensayo with the following words: It
borders on the east with town of Asingan at a distance of 14 kilometres; on the
north with barrios Bactad of Urdaneta; on the northwest with the town of
Urdaneta at 9 kilometres; on the west with Malasiqui, its mother-town, at 24
kilometres; on the southwest, through a pointed stretch of land, with
Bayambang; on the south with the municipality of Alcala and with Rosales (Nueva
Ecija) on the east southwest.
In spite of being quite an old
town, Villasis did not yet have in 1869, permanent buildings, since all of them
– church, convent, town hall and schools – were constructed of wood, bamboo and
anahao. However, during the years 1867 1868, Fr. Mariano Anton had
already laid the foundations of the church. His work was continued by his
successors, especially Fr. Jose Ma. Ruiz (1874 -1885) who improve the barn-like
church (iglesia-camarin) by setting the new walls, notably lengthened on
brick basement, and abundantly providing it with sacred vessels and vestments.
His successor, Fr. Bonifacio Probanza (1886 – 1890) lined the whole structure,
already finished, with galvanized iron sheets.
The active Fr. Ruiz finished the
spacious convent of mixed materials, covering it with a galvanized iron
roofing, and in addition, fenced the cemetery with a two-meter high brick wall.
Fr. Paulino Aguilar finished its chapel whose foundations had been laid by Fr.
Ruiz.
Before the Palaris uprising
(1762-1764), Pandoyocan numbered 500 tributes (about 2000 souls). But at the
end of the revolt, there only remained about 160. This decrease was in part due
to the suffering brought about by the fighting, and also to the fact that many
of its inhabitants migrated to other places when the years for exemption of the
tribute were over. In 1769, Pandoyocan was entrusted to the pastor of Asingan.
Due to scarcity of ministers, upon the advice of Alcalde Mayor of Pangasinan,
Pandoyocan was eventually suppressed altogether as parish or visita.
On June 22, 1804, through a
proclamation, the restoration of Pandoyocan was officially announced. The
process of restoration did not, however, go on smoothly as the said
proclamation was only acted upon on May 2, 1807 when Governor General Mariano
F. Folgueras acceded to the desires of the inhabitants of the former
Pandoyocan. This, he did only on the condition that the restored town would
bear the family name of one of his predecessors in the governance of the
Philippines. Rafael Ma. De Aguilar y Villasis. Unluckily, this time, the plan
met with the opposition of the Dominican Provincial who contented that the
right place to effect the restoration was not successfully carried out until
1814.
This newly restored town, which
was most probably located in Macayo, was officially accepted by the Provincial
Chapter of the Dominicans in 1841 under the patronage of San Antonio Abad
(Saint Anthony Abbot). Pandoyocan thus become a mere barrio or “visita”
of the new town of Villasis.
In a letter dated at Ocana,
Toledo, Spain in 1911, Fr. Paulino Aguilar, the last Dominican parish priest of
Villasis, summarizes the number and condition of its ecclesiastical structures.
The convent as it was in 1898, is
a mixed structure of mortar and stone, wood and tabique pampango (i.e. a
texture of bamboo reeds supported by thin and narrow strips of wood, and
plastered all over with a coat of fine white lime). The church is a fabrico-wooded
walls resting on a basement of mortar and stone. It is united to the convent by
a very beautiful passageway, built also of durable materials.
The convent and the church are
covered with galvanized iron roofing. The convent had a good kitchen of solid
materials, roofed also with corrugated iron sheets, and linked to the convent
by a gallery, which rests on brick pillars. This gallery is flanked by wooden
railings on both sides and rooted with iron sheets.
Of the fence encircling the
churchyard, were the first and second Sunday processions used to be held; only
the foundations were finished and its layout traced. All this is still in good
condition.
The bell-tower is all wooden
supported by well-wrought posts (harigues) of bacayao, and all
its timber is of first class, as it befits a construction so exposed to the
inclemency of the weather.
The cemetery, situated to the
right of the road, which, starting in Villasis, leads to Asingan, is fenced
with a wall of strong materials.
It is said that in the year 1850,
there were the two schools in Villasis. Later, Fr. Joaquin Palacios (1867 –
1871) is said to have put up two school buildings for the boys and girls but
unluckily both went up in flames in the year 1871. Two other school buildings,
constructed under the supervision of Fr. Ruiz, suffered a similar fate.
Reliable historians tell us that this Fr. Ruiz provided all barrios, even the remotest
ones, with schools. No wonder therefore, that at the end of long term (1874 –
1995), Villasis numbered 20 schools for both sexes within its jurisdiction, all
with their respective teachers, men as well as women.
In November 1954, the parish of
St. Anthony, Abbot awakened from a lull in their spiritual endeavors. The
hosting of the Cristo Rey Diocesan celebration proved to be a convenient
occasion for a sincere and dedicated religious renewal. The church, which was
hardly damaged during the Spanish-Filipino war, had now suffered nature’s slow
but sure attacks. The church needed repairs (façade, windows, and ceiling) and
the people responded with their available resources. Fr. Bernardo Imuan was
then the parish priest.
A Catholic school nearby is
managed by the parish and Fr. Dimas Jacinto declares that several improvements
are being undertaken in the school as well as in the parish. Altogether he says
that the parishioners are traditional although some are beginning to be open to
reforms. Peace-loving, supportive and simple, the parishioners understand the
vagaries of parish life. If they observe the changes which they deem to be
beneficial to the larger majority, they respond with unquestioned cooperation.
Also, they are sensitive to the needs of other parishes on other areas; they
even generously support the lahar victims of Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales by
offering their produce weekly – vegetables, rice and corn. The parish also runs
a canteen during weekends, proceeds from which are channeled to the parish’s
indigents.
Education and evangelization
remains the parish’s thrust. The young adults in the parish participate – they
form choirs and sing during Masses; they hold concerts for evangelization; they
catechize and at times, they help during elections with their campaign for the
people to go out and vote. “In due time, they shall become active,” Fr. Jacinto
says. In fact, with the help of the parish school, he intends to tap more
teenagers to work in other socio-civic concerns of the parish, and of the
Diocese, whenever possible. “They are generally kind, sharp and less critical,”
he adds.
The church needs more
face-lifting. It has seen better times and Fr. Jacinto is slowly looking
forward towards making it more attractive, with better facilities and a
distinguishing character. Those who have seen the church in the past recall how
weddings, baptisms and other religious events were held with so much pride and
joy. May be the parishioners today shall be more concerned and be more generous
in giving their share?
M. HISTORY OF HOLY CROSS PARISH
The town of Alcala was originally
one of the bigger sitios of the town of Batambang. It was separated civilly
from the mother town by a Royal Decree No. 682 of the Spanish Government dated
September 20, 1875. It was first called “Dangla” (a vernacular name of a
medicinal shrub which was then abundance in the locality.). Later it was
changed into Alcala in honor of the then incumbent Spanish Governor of
Pangasinan who was a native of Alcala, Spain.
Alcala was erected as an
independent parish by another Royal Decree of the Spanish Government dated
January 4, 1881 and was given the name Holy Cross Parish, the Patron of the
town. The Dominican accepted it as the House of the Order with Fr. Eduardo Samaniego,
O.P. as the first Parish Priest. He started first the Construction of the
convent and was continued by Fr. Mariano Revilla and Fr. Cipriano Casamijana
finished it.
The same Parish Priest placed the
foundation of a Parish Church and his successors completed it. However, it was
destroyed during the height of the Revolution. After the revolution, the first
Filipino priest to serve Alcala was Fr. Ponciano Manuel followed by Agustin del
Rosario and then Fr. Juan Bello who then built a new Church. After Fr. Bello,
Fr. Evaristo Soriano and Fri Gerardo Barjaca served Alcala in short separate
terms. Fr. Eusebio Bermudez took over after them and he improved the Church. He
served the Parish from 1932 to 1936. Fr. Emilio Abalos succeeded him and served
the Parish for 16 years, from 1936-1952.
Fr. Jose V. Ferrer replaced Fr.
Abalos. He had a taste for change and improvement. He demolished the old Church
and replaced it with a semi-concrete structure with Archbishop Mariano Madriaga
and Bishop Jesus Sison, he founded the Holy Rood academy in 1959. The Church
was again changed during the first Christ the King Celebration in 1960. In
1961, Fr. Amado Lopez succeeded him. He continued the improvements of the
Church and the school. Unfortunately, a strong earthquake occurred in 1967
rendering the Church unfit for use. It was during the stewardship of Fr.
Eusebio Vigilia and Fr. Johnny Tagalicud (1972-1977) that a new concrete Church
and additional classrooms were constructed. Fr. Elias Tanopo took over the
Parish (1977-1981). The significant events during his term were the First
Centennial anniversary Celebration of thr parish and the visit of the Sto. Nino
de Cebu (January 4, 1981).
From then on, the following
Parish Priests served Alcala: Fr. Dimas Jacinto, Most Rev. Marlo Peralta, Fr.
Medez Laguerta, Fr. Cirilo Mayugba, Fr. Polly G. Castillo Jr., Fr. Jimmy
Catungal and at present Fr. Numeriano Gabot.
M. HISTORY OF STS. PETER AND PAUL
PARISH
The Church was built towards the
end of 17th Century by the Dominican friars. In 1763, it was burned down by the
alcalde mayor and other Spaniards because of a rebellion that took place. In
1773, Bishop Miguel Garcia of Nueva Segovia chose the town of Calasiao as the
site for Diocesan Synod. In 1804, a new and bigger church than the first one
was built but was eventually leveled to the ground in between the years 1841
and 1842. It was later rebuilt by Fr. Ramon Dalmau, but before it was completed
it was burned once more in the year 1852. In the years 1854 to 1856 it was
rebuilt headed by Fr Ramon Suarez.
After Fr Bonifacio Probanza, the
last Domincan Vicar, left Calasiao, the parish was reputed to be the richest
church in ornaments in the entire Pangasinan. During the American era, secular
priests had taken over as administrators of the parish. The church was
renovated when it hosted the Christ the King in 1936. In 1945, the Cathedral
and the Archbishop’s palace from Lingayen temporarily transferred to Calasiao
and stayed for three years because of the war.
Towards the end of 17th Century,
the Church in Calasiao – from the word Ka-Lasi-an, place of lightnings (Lasi)
– was built under the Dominican Provincial Chapter placed the Parish of
Calasiao, under the patronage of St. Paul.
In the year 1721, it became the
parish of Sts. Peter & Paul because a newer and bigger church was
erected by Fr. Jua Maldonado de San Pedro Martin, the first parish priest.
The Church’s structure is 83m
long, 25m wide, 27.3m high; convent: 75m long,25m wide; bell tower: 30m high.
Second church built in Pangasinan by the Dominicans after the Church in
Binalatongan (now San Carlos City).
The convent was the site of 18th
Century Synod of Calasiao. Pogon or the Kitchen was placed separately so
the Church won’t get damaged in case of fire outbreak. One of the Spanish era
Churches that are well preserved and has the original retablo ever since it was
first built.
One of the 34 Spanish era
Churches included in the National Cultural Treasure Directory – these are
unique objects found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural,
artistic, and/or scientific value which is significant and important to the
Philippines.
Calasiao joined Malong Rebellion
from 1660 to 1661 that caused it to be burned down by the government in the
year 1736.
Earthquake and fire struck the
Church in 1736 and was again burned down during the Palaris Revolt in the
year1852.
It was also heavily damaged by an
earthquake on the 16th of March, 1892.
It was built with bricks in the
year 1753 under Fr Dalman and was again rebuilt from 1854-1858 by Fr. Ramon
Suarez. Because of its preservations and renovations, among 30 Soanish era
Churches, it is registered as National Cultural Treasures and whose preservation
is designated of utmost importance by National Historical Commission.
Catholic Youth Movement,
established by Mgsr. Ungson, holds regular seminars in the parish to awaken the
youth’s role and relationship with the community as well as in the choir,
catechetical work and social apostolate.
There is the work on promotion of
awareness among the local people as well as tourists to be able to appreciate
the value of the Church because it is not as visited as of the Baroque style
churches in the Ilocos region.
There is also the gathering of
support from locals of Calasiao in preserving this cultural and historical
treasure.There is the renovation for plans to promote it as a tourist
attraction and a plan to put up a gallery within.
Senor Divino Tesoro, the most
Divine Image of our Lord Jesus Crucified, is venerated by townspeople of
Calasiao as well as other people in other places.
Many devotees bear witness to the
graces and answered prayers to the image which others
consider miraculous that devotees become widespread all throughout many.
V. LEARNING, REALIZATIONS AND NEW
INSIGHTS
The “Pagbabalik Tanaw” to our own
local churches in Pangasinan is the center of Our Lady of Manaoag Formation
Community’s (OLMFC) 2012 educational tour.
Looking back at the history of
the churches in the province, we were brought back to our origin. The culture
and faith, the religious beliefs and practices in our own native lands were
redefined by the early historical events that took place. Every Filipino with
roots in Pangasinan and every Pangasinense, will be proud of these grateful
historical events that shaped their identity as persons.
The revisiting of the Pangasinan
churches highlights the different trails that enriched the Pangasinenses’
culture and faith. The input we have come up features the historical
significance of Pangasinan churches, which also highlight the province’s
evolution in faith, its struggle, spiritual growth and commitment to history.
We were able to gather reasons of
the how and when the first evangelization of the local churches took place in
Pangasinan and how the different religious beliefs and practices of the native
towns developed.
Knowing the local church history
in our own native lands taught us to be more appreciative of our past whose
influence has a great contribution to our present culture as Pangasinenses.
Moreover, we have seen the importance of tracing the roots of the present
situation of the people by looking what had happened in the past, so that by
knowing their origin, we will better understand their present beliefs, their
religious practices, their way of thinking, status in life, etc. Knowing
individuals with roots in Pangasinan is itself a discovery leading towards a
better understanding of our own identity whose roots are their roots. Truly,
the remnants of the past clearly speak its significance to us in the
present.
Worth knowing as well in the
history of the Pangasinan churches are its architectural appeal and
geographical significance. Most churches that we visited are structurally and
geographically magnificent and beautiful. Many improvements were carried out
too. The undergrounds and the excellent geographical location of the San Fabian
Parish founded to be an infirmary due to the wind from the upland and the
afternoon breeze from the nearby Lingayen Gulf; the symbolic façade and the
historical church of St James in Bolinao that changed our notion on the
Limasawa account; the well-renovated and colorful bricks in-and-out of Sts.
Peter and Paul Parish in Calasiao, etc., are only a few among the many
beautiful and symbolic churches of Pangasinan. Our travel to our own local
churches inculcated among us not only an appreciation of the past bus as well
as its indestructible bastion of faith within its domain.
Braganza, Jose Vicente., ALAMINOS
BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 1778-1978. Alaminos City, Pangasinan. 1978.
De la Torre, Visitacion R. Faith
Enshrined: Churches of Pangasinan. Makati City: Tower
Documents of First Diocesan
Pastoral Assembly of Alaminos, 1995.
Documents of First Diocesan
Pastoral Assembly Alaminos, 2000.
Documents of First Diocesan
Pastoral Assembly Alaminos, 2010.
Santos, Edilberto V., WESTERN
PANGASINAN: EARLIEST BEGINNINGS 1572-1898 as told by Primary Sources, Volume I,
Diocese of Alaminos, Citizen’s Printing Press, Mabalacat, Pampanga.
Souvenir Program ofEphipany of
Our Lord Parish during Christ the King 2010.
Souvenir Program of St. Isidore
Parish during the Christ the King 2012.
Montemayor, Felix M., ANAK APO NA
ALAMINOS ALL ACHEIVERS ALL. 1983.
Quintos, Felipe. SIPI AWARAY
GELEY ED FILIPINAS (REVOLUCION FILIPINA) saray agawgawad Pangasinan tan
Zambales nen taon iran 1897 angad 1900. Bakal na Pilipino tan Kastila, tan
bakal na Pilipino tan Estados Unidos. Gumawid Press, Lingayen, Pangasinan.
1926.
The Pastoral and Administrative
Documents of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Assembly (APA) of the Archdiocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan.
Various Recollect Publications in
Spanish and English, Archivo Recoleto, Mira Nila Homes, Tandang Sora, Quezon
City.
www.epphanyofourlordparish.blogspot.com/p/history.html
http://capitalpangasinan.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-churches.html
http://parokyasanjose.blogspot.com/p/projects.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Alaminos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaminos,_Pangasinan
[1] Episcopal Commission on
Catechesis and Catholic Education, Cathechism of the Catholic Church Definitive
Edition (Makati, World and Life Publication, 1994), 425.
[2] Rosario Mendoza Cortes, Pangasinan
1572-1800, Quezon City: New DayPublishers, 1991, p. 48.
[5]
Onofre D. Corpuz, The Bureaucracy in the Philippines (Manila: University
of the Philippines, 1957), 3.
[13] http://sanfabianparish.blogspot.com.
Accessed last September 9, 2012. All the information here were based on this
website, the website of the Parish of St. Fabian Pope and Martyr. The website
was made by Msgr. Oliver Mendoza himself.
