HISTORY

    

HISTORY OF DAGUPAN CHURCH

 

      The first Catholic Church of Dagupan, like most of the early churches in the islands, was a humble structure of light materials, principally nipa and bamboo. This gave way to a more imposing edifice sometime in the early 17th century. 

      During the Andres Malong uprising in 1660, the rebels razed Dagupan after it refused to join the rebellion. The church, one of the finest administered by the Dominicans in the province, was not spared. 

      According to the Dominican chronicler Fr. Valentin Marin y Morales, another stone church was built on the same spot in 1816. However, an earlier account by Fr. Manuel Mora, who visited Dagupan in 1804, cites an old stone structure. Fr. Pablo Fernandez, O.P. (1958) believes that the 19th century structure must have been built on the frame of the 17th century building destroyed during the rebellion. This theory was reinforced by the discovery of ashes and burnt lumber during an excavation in the church site in 1995. 

      The church, as known in the latter part of the 19th century, was made of bricks and roofed with nipa shingles, similar to the convent and the school in the plaza. It consisted of three naves, and had a sufficiently spacious interior with columns. Its walls were low, and the tower that stood on the right of the facade was small. The facade faced east, fronting the original plaza which would later be converted into rice fields. The plaza was longer more than it was wide, and was surrounded by stone houses. 

      Another plaza, situated north of the church and on the bank of the Toboy River, was the site of the original casa tribunal and the market. There were rows of stone houses close by. 

      During the great earthquake of 1892, the church collapsed, later to be replaced with another edifice by Fr. Vicente Iztegui in 1895. 

      And in the 1898 revolution, Fr. Iztegui refused to leave Dagupan for a safer place. Spanish soldiers as well as civil and religious authorities of Dagupan, Lingayen and Binmaley held out in the church as Filipino soldiers laid siege. 

      Meanwhile, the bell tower was reconstructed intermittently from 1903 to 1914. 

From The Old To New 

      In the afternoon of May 31, 1964, the corner stone of the future Saint John Metropolitan Cathedral was laid on a spot at the back of the old church of Dagupan. 

      The hewn stone contained in its recesses a small metal box chronicling major events that had transpired that day - a compilation of testimonials written by religious and civil authorities of the city, a piece of parchment on which were etched the names of sponsors of the cornerstone-laying, a copy of a local newspaper, official diocesan and parish documentation of the event, and Philippine coins marked "1964." The cornerstone was laid in simple rites presided over by Archbishop Mariano Madriaga and assisted by Monsignor Evaristo Soriano, curate of the Parish of Saint John, Dagupan City. 

      With the initial cash donation from the faithful amounting to P24,099.80, construction of the new edifice began. 

      The future cathedral was meant to replace the old church which had been damaged by past earthquakes. New features, designed to implement liturgical reforms under the Second Vatican Council, included: (1) an altar facing the congregation to express oneness of the clergy with the laity, and to encourage more active participation of the congregation in the liturgy, and (2) a simple altar with the Crucifix as the only centerpiece. The cathedral would also be spacious to accommodate the growing population of the Archdiocese. 

      As envisioned, at the corner of Burgos and Calimlim streets would rise an imposing structure, St. John Cathedral, which would be visible to parishioners and other devotees even at a great distance. 

      For lack of funds, however, construction ceased in 1966.This resumed three years later as new contributions poured in due to the efforts of the project's chief architect and most ardent implementor, Archbishop Madriaga, as well as that of Msgr. Soriano and his successor, Msgr. Leon Bitanga. Archbishop Federico G. Limon took up the endeavor with the same enthusiasm in 1972. 

      The completion of such a monumental edifice involved Pangasinanes from far and wide. Local religious and civic organizations heeded the call for help in various ways. Architect Arnulfo Chuchip, Jose Rosal and Clemente Fernandez helped supervise and implement the plans and specifications prepared by Antonio Naurin and Miguel de Guzman. 

      Renowned EENT specialist, Dr. Augusto P. Evidente — as head of the Knights of Columbus - led initiatives to raise additional funds and assist in the structural design. The Kaluyagan Nen Palaris, a Pangasinan confederation based in Manila, sponsored a benefit show at the Meralco Theater in June 1994 to raise money for the finishing touches on the edifice. Finally, on the feast of Saint John in 1974, the Metropolitan Cathedral was inaugurated by Archbishop Limon. 

      Upon assuming his position as Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in 1991, Archbishop Cruz drew up plans to restore the old Dagupan Church. The task began in earnest in 1995 with initial contributions from the generous faithful of Dagupan City and the rest of Pangasinan. To augment the funds, old timber from the original church beyond recycling were made into furniture pieces and sold to interested buyers. 

      Today, the restored church is called the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan while the new church is known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist which recently was renovated by new Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas. 

St. John the Evangelist, The Lord’s Favorite 

      Saint John the Evangelist, whose feast is celebrated on December 27, was one of the first disciples of Christ. Originally a fisherman like his father Zebedee and brother James, he was a disciple of John the Baptist. Set afire by the baptizer’s testimony of Jesus, John, along with Andrew, followed by the Nazarene to Galilee where he was received into the inner circle. 

      The Gospel shows John to be especially close to Jesus. He was with Peter and James at the raising of Jairus’ daughter, at the Transfiguration, and finally in Gethsemane on the night Jesus was arrested. Along with Peter, he was asked by the Master to prepare for the Last Supper. In most images of the Last Supper, he is shown to be seated next to Jesus, leaning on His chest. He is also remembered for his heroic courage: First, for following Jesus into the court of the high priests, and second, for staying with the Master from his journey to Mount Calvary up until His death on the cross. On hearing that the Master had risen from the dead, John was the first apostle to hasten to the grave and to believe that He had truly risen. 

      When Christ later appeared at the Lake of Genesareth, John was first among the seven disciples present to recognize his Master standing on the shore. After Christ’s Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, John - also with Peter – assumed a critical role in the founding and guidance of the Church. He was in the company of Peter at the healing of the lame man in the temple, and like him, was thrown in prison. 

      Church tradition tells us that John went to Asia Minor to preach and guide the fledgling Church. 

– Jorge Estrada 

Source:  http://dagupan.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=71