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SAINT PHILIP BENIZI PARISH The area of Sergio Osmeña is so vast that it shares border with seven municipalities of the province of Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur. The Maryknoll Fathers were the first full-time missionaries in the area. They came in the early 70’s. Probably, the church became a parish under them. After their departure, the Parish of Dipolog took change of it. Fr. Luis Lapinid visited it regularly to continue what the Maryknollers had begun. Fr. Expedito Caermare was able to reside at Sergio Osmeña for a few months in 1978. But a systematized administration occurred only with the arrival of Fr. Edgar Agura in 1980.
The original patron of the church in Sergio Osmeña was the Resurrection. But when it was adopted as sister parish by an American church entrusted to St. Philip Benizi, the patron of the adopting church was also embraced.
Fr. Greg Canonigo succeeded Fr. Edgar. He
continued the constructions of the church as building and the formation of
it as people into communities. The next pastor, Fr. Filomeno Cuaton,
practically completed the construction. This made possible for its
successor, Fr. Atilano Tabaranza, to concentrate on the building of basic
ecclesial communities in which the whole formation of the members was
pursued. Unfortunately, Fr. Ati had to leave his parishioners permanently,
and without replacement, to assume an important work in the college
seminary. The BEC-program suffered due to the absence of the pastor. But
soon after the young and energetic Rev. Tortillano Doller took over and
continued what has been started. Fr. Victorino Belandal followed Fr.
Doller, so also Fr. Edgar Elumba. Fr. Mamerto Dolera is its present
pastor. SAINT
ISIDORE PARISH Polanco is a municipality where a good number of the dwellers are farmers. Many of them have transferred residence to Dipolog City which is just eight kilometers away. But they, or their families, have retained ownership of their land properties. No wonder, Isidore, a farmer-saint, has been selected by the faithful of Polanco to be their guide and patron. Their parish was established in 1954. Many priests have served them: Fr. Bernardino Costa, Fr. Caballero, Fr. Anacleto Pellano, Fr. Emigdio Socias. Fr. Alberto Romero, Fr. Gonzalo Ta. Villamil, Jr., Fr. Bonifacio Alcantara, Fr. Edmund Layan, Fr. Edgar Elumba, Fr. Cesar Tinga, Fr. Enrico Montano. Msgr. Wilson P. Cadano is its present pastor and is assisted by Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Buenaflor. Fr. Romero was killed at a chapel while blessing a picture of our Lady of Fatima after a barrio fiesta mass in 1985. That was the time when the church in Polanco was sandwiched between two warring groups fighting each other both for the sake of the Filipino people. The church, her leaders,her various organizations and communities were suspected to be sympathizing or even conniving with one camp by the other side. It was a time uncertainties and turmoil. But the faithful, inspired by the succeeding pastor, Fr. Jun Villamil, stood their ground. More or less, the situation has gone back to normalcy. Traditional devotions and practices have returned but they have been modified to suit the present time. Their past experience taught the people to integrate their faith with the rest of life and salvation with building ecclesial communities. For this end, parochial formation programs are implemented anew. Indeed, the sweat, tears and blood of the previous pastors and lay leaders have watered the seeds of faith planted in Polanco. As farmers, they know the intimate relation between life and plants. As Christians, they have become aware that faith separated from life is like a lifeless plant.
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY PARISH The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Piñan is as old as the diocese this coming December 17th. It was erected in the same year as the diocesan creation. So, it can be refrred to as the “Diocesan Creation Parish”. Eleven priests have ministered the parish. The first pastor was Fr. Hector del Callar. Those who followed him include Fr. Herculano Ugtom Fr. Levi Garcia, Fr. Hamilcar Blanco, Fr. Ranulfo Suarez, Fr. Alfredo Ganason, Fr. Noel Saldariega, Fr. Edmund Layan, Fr. Atilano Tabaranza, Fr. Virgilip Belleno and the present one, Fr. Artemio Deo. Like the parochial patroness, these pastors have spent much effort to lead their flock nearer to the source of all love, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Presently, it means re-organizing the parish into a BEC- structured church. The work is not easy. A lot of reorientation of the mandated organizations, apostolate and movement is indispensable. Leading the work is a vicarial team organized after the Diocesan Facilitators Workshop Seminar, together with the POPIMUS priests; the team facilitates the people’s discernment on the DOPIM-PCP II vision and challenge. The diocese faces its future undaunted. So does the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Each reflects the courage and hope of the other as they go beyond the silver jubilee of their creation.
SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER PARISH Simplicity is beauty, this maxim describes the parish located at Mutia—its people, church and life. It can also be said about the present pastor, Fr. Wilson Lagare, a simple yet an artist in his own right. He is the tenth to administer the parish since its creation in 1970. Before him were Fr. Levi Garcia, Fr. Expedito Caermare, Fr. Noel Saldariega, Fr. Edgar Lavilla and Fr. Edgar Guantero, Fr. Adelmo Laput, Fr. Virgilio Belleno, Fr. Enrico Montano and Fr. Nemesio Sayon. The parish has been put under the care of Saint Francis of Xavier. The people have tasked themselves with a simple but tremendous task—their formation into basic ecclesial communities (BEC) or Gagmay’g Katilingban Simbahan (GKS). Led by the their parish priest, the lay leaders, ministers, catechists, youth, mandated organizations and charismatic groups have joined hands in pursuing this goal. Seminars for awareness, renewal and formation are currently given in various chapels. Simplicity is growth in the life of faith. Hopefully, the people of Mutia will realize this vision in their midst. |
