March 3rd, 2009 -- Posted in Churches, Pangasinan, Patron Saints, Religions |
Malasiqui was once a mere settlement. Several families grouped together for mutual protection from wild beasts and lawless elements. As the settlement progressed, the Spanish authorities took advantage of the situation and sent missionary priests to spread the gospel.
According to legends, three missionary priests were initially sent to the settlement. Upon reaching the place, they found out that the settlement was located in the middle of thick woods and tall grasses inhabited by dangerous animals. The settlement was surrounded by creeks. A man whose brother became a historical figure lives along the banks of the north creek. This man was popularly known as Balolong. He is the brother of the famous Juan de la Cruz Palaris who led the revolution against the Spaniards in 1763.
Balolong planted a tree near his house and the tree grew very big that it is easily seen within the neighborhood. The tree was called “Bengal.” Because of the big tree, the north creek area is usually referred to as “Bengal nen Balolong.” Later on, the creel was to be known as “Bengalbalolong.” It is now more popularly known as Binalbalolong. These creeks that surrounded the settlement were known to be too dangerous during rainy season because of the swift current. Now, the south and north creeks are dormant.
As the three missionary priests surveyed the area, they found the small paths penetrating the thick woods and tall grasses. These small road passes connect the houses in the settlement. Ferocious wild pigs locally known as “animoloc” were abundant in the area. Having surveyed the settlement, two of the priests did not seem to admire the place. One of them remarked in Spanish “Mala” meaning “No good.” The other readily nodded in agreement and was heard to have replied in Spanish “Si” meaning “Yes.” But the third priest was determined to settle with the other two so he was heard to have protested in Spanish saying “Yqui” meaning “So what?”
The natives who heard the short dialogue (but did not understand the language) thought all along the priests gave a name to the settlement. They heard the priests uttered the following words in succession “Mala-si-yqui.” From that moment on, the settlement (now a big town) is to be known as Malasiqui.
PARISH OF SAN ILDEPHONSE MALASIQUI 1699
The parish of Malasiqui was formerly a “visita” of San Carlos, In 1665, it became a town with the venerable Fr. Juan Camacho as founder and first pastor. The original town of Malasiqui was located some two kilometers to the east of the road leading to Villasis. After an uprising in 1660, the town was transferred to the present site in 1661-1662.
In 1746, the construction of the church and the convent was started by Fr. Luis Delfin. These buildings were burned in 1763. In 1770, another convent was built, around 1773 the constructed new church began under Fr. Tapias, and it was completed in 1790. On February 29, 1820 another conflagration gutted down the town together with the church, the convent and the parish archives. Again, the building of a new church began in 1823 and was also burned. A provisional church and a convent were again put up, but this crumbled during the earthquake in 1880. In 1882, Fr. Juan Cordova constructed a new church which was inaugurated in 1885. This was partly destroyed in tremors of 1892, but was repaired by Fr. Salvador Millan. It measures 70 meters long and 18.50 wide. Meanwhile, the old convent was converted into Malasiqui’s first Catholic School. Later date, a new Catholic Rectory was inaugurated by Msgr. Madriano Madriaga on July 2, 1972.
December 20th, 2008 -- Posted in Churches, City Tours, Pangasinan, Patron Saints, Religions, Religious Shrines |
The patron saint of the San Carlos City is Saint Dominic de Guzman. He is the founder of the Order of Preachers and credited for performing miracles in the city. Among them was the minimal damage to the city caused by the return of the Americans to the islands during the close of World War II. The parish church built in his honor was once the biggest in Luzon. The parish of San Carlos is the oldest in Pangasinan.
Roman Catholicism remains the faith of majority of San Carleñians, although there are other denominations that co-exist peacefully in the city. Discrimination of religion is discouraged, though religious practices that seem bizaare and unacceptable by society is widely looked down upon.
- Saint Dominic de Guzman Parish Church
- Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Soledad
- Our Lady Queen of the Holy Family Parish Church
- Iglesia ni Cristo - Lokal ng San Carlos
- Iglesia ni Cristo - Ano
- Iglesia ni Cristo - Salinap
- United Methodist Church
- San Carlos Baptist Church
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Faith Assembly of God
September 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Ilocos, La Union, Patron Saints, Philippines, Religious Shrines, Religious observances, Travel |
The century-old church of St. Catherine in Luna, formerly called Namacpacan, houses the miraculous image of Our Lady of Namacpacan, patroness of Ilocano travellers. The shrine is located at the town proper of Luna, approximately 40 kilometers northwest of San Fernando.
The year 1690 saw the birth of a new town as idyllic in its formation as its name implies. Situated along the fringes of Northern La Union coasting the China Sea, it was named NAMACPACAN to glorify the native trait of hospitality which residents showed towards the people of neighboring towns who retreated to its thick forests when they were persecuted by the colonizers.
It was in the year 1871, when an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary was brought along its shores by a lucky stroke of fate, which eventually became venerated as the Image of Our Lady of Namacpacan. The image was ordered from Spain by a certain Augustinian Priest then assigned to the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Brought to the Philippines in a ship, it was heading for the province of Ilocos Sur when a storm forced the crew to seek shelter at Darigayos, a barrio of the town then named Namacpacan. When the storm abated, they tried to resume their journey, but strong winds forced them back to the port; several attempts were made to sail, but each time they did, their progress was impeded by the winds. Finally, the captain of the ship decided to carry the statue to the port and have it carried overland to its destination. Again, the natives met difficulties when the box containing the image could not be budged an inch, so that after several unsuccessful attempts, they concluded that Our Blessed Lady must have chosen the town of Namacpacan as her sanctuary. Rev. Fr. Marcelino Ceballos, the Parish Priest of Namacpacan then, negotiated with the Augustinian Friars who came to claim the statue, and the sacred Image was carried in procession to the Church of Namacpacan. A big feast marked the arrival of Our Lady in town. The townspeople came out in their best to meet the parish church and which came to be known as Our Lady of Namacpacan. An altar at the northern portion side of the church was constructed to house the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Namacpacan. By virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 1543, the town’s name was changed to Luna in 1906 to honor the Luna brothers, Antonio, the General and Juan, the Painter, whose mother, Doña Laureana Novicio Luna hails from the place; however, the townspeople became so attached to Our Lady that the name, Our Lady of Namacpacan, remained despite the change of the name of the town.
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September 26th, 2008 -- Posted in Ilocos, La Union, Patron Saints, Philippines, Religious Shrines, Religious observances, Travel |
Basilica of Our Lady of Charity
The renowned organ situated at the left area of the altar.
The Agoo Basilica enshrines the miraculous image of Our Lady of Charity. This imposing structure of Mexican-Baroque architecture is the venue of religious rites, foremost of which is the Semana Santa.
It is situated at the center of the aged town of Agoo, the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity has stood for scores of centuries now as one of the long venerated configurations of the Virgin in the Philippines.
It was founded in 1578 when two zealous Franciscan priests, Fray John Baptist Lucarelli of Pesaro, Italy and Fray Sebastian de San Francisco of Baesa, Spain on the time they got in the country for their evangelical mission. The settlement of the Franciscan Order opened the doors to Agoo’s embrace to God’s supremacy over mankind, making the town the first point of contact with Christianity for the Southern Ilocos region.
At present, the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity commemorates its Patronal Fiesta every 4th of May as a tribute to its myriad of help that will live forever in the hearts of its thousands of devotees far and wide.
September 18th, 2008 -- Posted in Fiestas, Ilocos, La Union, Patron Saints, Travel |
The Feast of Our Lady of Caysasay is an annual activity in La Union held every December. Sports activities, beauty contest, and painting contest are among the featured events visitors enjoy. It is also a time to give importance to Filipino balikbayans through free tours and a balikbayan night.
The Filipino-Chinese community in San Fernando celebrates the Feast of Our Lady by bringing the original statue from Taal, Batangas to the temple for the weeklong activities held on the second week of September which is the 5th day of August in the Lunar calendar.
September 14th, 2008 -- Posted in Fiestas, La Union, Patron Saints, Travel |
San Fernando City celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of Saint William the Hermit every month of February. There are various religious activities being held like National Bible celebration, thanksgiving mass, Parish Pastoral Night and a Fiesta Mass. Other highlights include sports activities (boxing, mountain bike/BMX race kicked off), social and cultural activities (acrobatic shows, disabled persons program, field demonstration of schools, dog show, bingo socials, band concert, and more), grand civic and military parade, agricultural trade fair and beauty and talent searches.
August 30th, 2008 -- Posted in Churches, Fiestas, Ilocos Sur, Patron Saints, Religious Shrines |
The church itself is simple with the façade flanked by two square columns wherein the main attraction of the church is the statue of the crucified Christ. The feast of Santo Cristo Milagroso or “Apo Lacay” as local folks call him, stands out among other religious celebrations in Ilocandia. Every year, thousands of devotees within the region and outside flock to the shrine of Apo Lacay in Sinait several days before his feast which is on the 3rd of May. According to the old tales, boxes containing the images of Apo Lacay and La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc drifted ashore in Logo, a sitio of Dadalaquiten along the boundary of Sinait, Ilocos Sur and Badoc, Ilocos Norte. Although the versions of the origin of the statues vary in some details, they all agree of one thing: Apo Lacay and La Virgen Milagrosa chose where they wanted their images to be. The people of Sinait wanted to bring home La Virgen Milagrosa while Badoc wanted the Crucified Christ. The respective parish priests of Sinait and Badoc ordered men to carry their respective statues home. To their dismay, the statues could not be moved despite the number of men trying to carry them. After failing, the priests tried exchanging the icons instead. The first miracle of the images happened! The images were lifted without difficulty: the Virgin to Badoc, the Crucified Christ to Sinait.
Today, the Sto. Cristo Milagroso attracts devotees just like the Black Nazarene of Quiapo ant the faithful pay homage to Apo Lacay inside the Church. These are annual pilgrimages to the shrine and there is an impenetrable crowd in the church on the first Friday of every month.
August 30th, 2008 -- Posted in Churches, Fiestas, Ilocos Sur, Patron Saints, Religious Shrines |
The church, classified by experts as Baroque, is famous for its antique wooden altar (retablo) which is still being used. An old choir loft and the pulpit have been preserved but no longer functional.
The beautifully carved three-layered retablo is divided into eight niches, each occupied by saint. Two pairs of three-tiered slender columns flank the church’s façade. A statue of the parish’s patron saint, St. William the Hermit, in the church façade greets visitors and devotees. Magsingal became an independent parish in 1676 and the feast day of St. William the Hermit is celebrated on February 10.
August 30th, 2008 -- Posted in Churches, Fiestas, Ilocos Sur, Patron Saints, Religious Shrines |
Miracles are attributed to the parish’s patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer, thus attracting pilgrims from far and near. The church façade has two layers of columns divided by ornate architraves. The convoluted cornices in the church’s top section add beauty to the structure. Octagonal columns top with mini-domes rise from the base on both sides of the church’s façade. The ornate wooden pulpit is still preserved. The parish was established in 1795 and the feast day of St. Vincent Ferrer is celebrated on April 5.
August 29th, 2008 -- Posted in Cathedrals, Churches, Historians, Ilocos Sur, Patron Saints, Religious Shrines |
As founded in the church’s marker, the original church was a chapel of wood and that erected in 1574 on orders of Juan de Salcedo, the conquistador and Founder of Villa Fernandina (now Vigan). Historian Benito Legarda writes that the “construction of the cathedral to replace the dilapidated church of San Pablo was authorized by the celebrated Governor Jose de Basco y Vargas in 1786, and the cornerstone was laid on January 31, 1790.” The church itself became a cathedral when the seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia was transferred from Lal-lo, Cagayan to Vigan in 1758. An imposing structure in the heart of Vigan, the church’s main door was flanked by two pairs of columns which rise to the second tier of the façade. A niche above the main door houses a statue of St. Paul. There is a three-story bell tower with a square base and a mini-dome at the top lies nearby.
August 29th, 2008 -- Posted in Churches, Ilocos Sur, Patron Saints, Religious Shrines |
The church is home to the venerated our Lady of Charity, patroness of Nueva Segovia. The Statue of Our Lady adorns a niche at the top section just below the ornate cornice of the church façade. Below in it is another niche occupied by a statue of St. Augustine of Hippo and flanked by narrow stained glass windows. Based on historical records, the statue was canonically crowned by the Most Rev. Egidio Vagnozzi, D.D. Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines on January 12, 1956. The shrine attracts devotees from within and outside Ilocos Sur.
The parish of Bantay, Ilocos Sur was established in 1591. The parish’s patron saint is St. Augustine of Hippo, the Doctor of Grace whose feast day is on May 05. The feast day of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad is celebrated on the second Sunday of January in commemoration of the canonical coronation of the image.
August 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Churches, Ilocos Sur, Patron Saints, Religious Shrines |
The Assumption Church was designated as a National Historical Landmark on September 26, 1982 and included in the World Heritage List on December 11, 1993. It was built on top of a hill giving visitors a panoramic view of the town, the green fields and the blue sea in the horizon. The Baroque church can be reached via an 82-steps stairway. Two huge columns flanked the façade of the church. What makes the church attractive is the reddish exterior due to the exposed brickwork. An octagonal bell tower is located nearby.
The patron saint of the parish, which was established in 1765, is Señora de la Asuncion and her feast day is celebrated on August 15, the feast of the Assumption. Enshrined in the church is the Virgin’s statue made of wood in ornate sculptural style, with ivory face and hands. She stands on pedestal of clouds surrounded by angel’s heads.
