The renovated Our Lady of Assumption Shrine in Dauis, Bohol, was turned over by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines last August 2017. Compared to the Holy Week in previous years, this year saw much more parishioners gathering in the church.
(CDN PHOTO/JOSE SANTINO BUNACHITA)
HOLY WEEK IN BOHOL
Churches play a significant role in the lives of Catholics. It is where devotees gather to hear Mass and practice their faith.
But for some towns in Bohol, that had been a struggle after several churches were left in ruins by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the province in October 2013.
Parishioners in the towns of Baclayon, Loay, and Dauis watched in horror as their centuries old churches crumbled, badly needing repair, rehabilitation and restoration.
For four years, Holy Week masses and other activities were held outside old churches, in temporary structures within the church compound, which served as temporary chapels.
However, this year, residents of the three towns finally got to spend Holy Week activities inside their historic churches which had been finally restored.
“I feel happy and blessed that we celebrated Holy Week with our newly restored church. This is special to devotees of the Immaculate Conception because the historical Baclayon Church has reopened,” said 39-year-old Haydee Cabañeles, a businesswoman from Barangay Libertad, Baclayon.
Cabañeles recalled that even during her youth, she and her family always watched Siete Palabras or The Seven Last Words inside the Baclayon Church.
They also joined the yearly solemn foot procession and station of the cross.
Since the earthquake, parishioners had to hear Mass and celebrate other religious activities in a much smaller building beside the old church; but their faith remained, said Cabañeles.
“People of Baclayon are very religious, despite the dreadful earthquake. The space changed but the faith of Baclayanons remain,” she said.
The historic Our Lady of Immaculate Conception parish church in Baclayon reopened to the public just last February 27.
The church, built in 1596 and regarded as one of the oldest churches of the Philippines, was restored by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
In 1993, the structure was included in a list of world heritage sites in the Philippines by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It was also declared of “historical cultural value” by the NHCP and a national cultural treasure by the National Museum in 2010.
Like Cabañeles, 24-year-old Angeli Lumactud also felt “happy and blessed” that they could observe their Holy Week traditions this year inside the Baclayon Church.
“Now that it has been reopened, it feels more solemn and meaningful to experience Holy Week in our dear Immaculate Conception Church,” said Lumactud, who lives in Barangay Taguihom, Baclayon.
Holy Trinity Parish
While people of Baclayon had a small structure which served as their temporary church while the Immaculate Conception Church was still being restored, such was not the case for parishioners of Loay town who had to hear mass underneath tents by the town plaza.
“It was very hard for us when our church was destroyed. We were having Mass outside or in the plaza where there were tents built. Aside from the heat of the sun, we felt exhausted and I observed that the churchgoers were smaller in number compared to before,” said 47-year-old Beatriz Lynn Torregosa.
The government employee from Barangay Villalimpia said her traditions included a procession on Holy Wednesday, and the station of the cross and watching a reenactment of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday.
On Good Friday, Torregosa would listen to Siete Palabras at noon and join a procession at night; while Black Saturday and Easter Sunday were spent attending other religious ceremonies.
“Now that we can celebrate Mass inside the church, we can feel the true meaning of a Mass. We can internalize what the priest says because it’s comfortable and there are no distractions unlike when we were outside the church, there were many vehicles that were passing by and many children were playing,” Torregosa said.
The Holy Trinity parish church of Loay, which was declared a National Historical Landmark in 2003, was turned over by NHCP last October 15, 2017 — also the fourth anniversary of the earthquake.
The church conservation project in Loay included the restoration of the coral stone walls, stabilization of the rubble core, clamping of unreinforced masonry walls, restoration and replacement of damaged or missing face work, mouldings and ornaments, and the restoration of the portico.
The NHCP also rehabilitated the church roof and restored the 1927 ceiling paintings of renowned Visayan painter Raymundo Francia.
During the turnover ceremony, NHCP also inaugurated the Loay Conservation Laboratory and partially opened the Museum of Boholano History and Heritage in the restored Escuela de los Niños y Niñas Buildings and Casa Tribunal.
According to history researcher and NHCP architect-in-charge for Bohol restoration projects Benjamin Concepcion Empleo, the Loay Conservation Laboratory aimed to train locals to restore and maintain cultural properties.
Our Lady of Assumption
After repairs were completed, the turnover of the Our Lady of Assumption Shrine in Dauis town was done during a significant event last August 14, 2017 — the eve of the town fiesta.
Since the church’s reopening, the attendance of parishioners more than doubled, said Parish Vicar Fr. Rommel Anico.
There were even more people during Holy Week, he said, with those from other cities and provinces going home for a vacation.
“The church has always been a special part in the heart of Boholanos. In 2013, when the churches were devastated, the faith of the locals (in Dauis) truly was affected,” he said.
“Finally, when the church was restored, people have begun to flock again inside the church and are joyous of coming together for a common worship,” Fr. Anico added.
It was in 1863 when construction of the Dauis Church began. The church was inaugurated in 1923 by Msgr. Juan Gorordo.
It was also declared as a National Historical Landmark by the NHCP in 2009.
Other Bohol churches which had been fully restored by the NHCP are the Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc, the Our Lady of Light in Loon, the San Nicolas Church in Dimiao, and Santa Cruz Parish Church in Maribojoc.