First stone church in Negros Island

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HISTORICAL NOTES
by: REV. FR. ROMAN C. SAGUN. JR.

“If in this life only you have hope in Christ, you are of all human beings most miserable.” I Corinthians 15:19

On 15 March 1620, Cebu Bishop Pedro Arce, OSA, constituted Dumaguete as independent parish from Tanjay. Gov. Gen. Alonso Fajardo of Manila earlier stipulated that the new ecclesiastical territory would comprise the southern districts of “Ciaton (Siaton), Marabago (Bacong), Maralongon, and other outlying settlements.” Fr. Juan de Roa y Herrera was the first Spanish secular parish priest.

As parish priest of Dumaguete in 1754 – 1776, Fr. Jose Manuel Fernandez de Septien built the first and only massive stone church in Negros Island. Surrounded by a wall over two meters with four watchtowers as its four corners, the church complex together with the convent was constructed to protect the community from Moro incursions and piratical raids.

Fray Juan Felix de la Encarnacion, OAR (1867-1879) renovated the flooring of the entire church that was then made of very fine wood. He also installed the beautiful belfry upon the watchtower set up by Fr. Jose Manuel Fernandez de Septien a century back.

The future General of the Augustinian Recollects, Fray Mariano Bernad OAR, was Pastor of Dumaguete in 1866-1867, 1880-1891, and 1894- 1897. In 1885, Fray Mariano finished the reconstruction of the church. Through his initiative, the faithful of Dumaguete acquired a magnificent pipe organ of the Roques Hermanos model from Zaragoza, Spain that was inaugurated on 24 June 1891.

In 1936, Fr. Fermin Samanes, OAR, lengthened the Church with the present and new façade. Nearly two decades later on 23 December 1953, the fiery gold of conflagration gutted down the Parish Church and its neighboring old St. Paul College of Dumaguete (formerly the ancient Convento).

On 5 April 1955, Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Dumaguete, comprising the Province of Negros Oriental, the sub-province of Siquijor, and the Negros Occidental towns of San Carlos, Calatrava, Toboso and Escalante. The Pope specified that the Church in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr, be the Seat of the new Diocese.

The day right after his Episcopal consecration at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Bishop Epifanio B. Surban was installed as the first Local Ordinary of Diocese of Dumaguete on 25 October 1955.