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Happy 241st Anniversary to the church of Cabuyao, built by the first Filipino parish priest, Fray Blas de Sta. Rosa in honor of our beloved patron, St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr...
1771-January 26-2012
Our Beloved Church will undergo yet another major and ridiculously awful renovation. It was already approved that a 'right wing' adjacent to the already existing left wing(former Sacristy) of the church will soon be constructed.This will mean making a hole at the side of the ancient Church, destroying the structure and its massive buttress which supports the walls. Worst, the Cursillo House, who has retained its original adobe walls will also be damaged by this un-necessary expansion. The construction of the second church of Cabuyao was initiated by the First Filipino Parish priest, Fray Blas de Sta. Rosa, a native pampango (kapampangan). Materials for its construction was personally hand picked by the priest himself, meaning to say, the church is truly historic not just in structure but in its components as well. He died soon before the church is completed, but he donated his lifetime savings just to continue its construction. The second church was inaugurated on January 26, 1771. Our church had suffered so much. I hope many will realize the value of loosing another part of our heritage.
isa lang poh ang nakikita kong dahilan nito kaya urgent ang construction... recently poh ksi nagkaroon ng dispute between cursillo and church... sabihin na poh nating 'revenge' itoh ng pari sa cabuyao...
How important is the church of cabuyao?
TERCENTENARY OF THE INSTALLATION OF THE FIRST
FILIPINO PARISH PRIEST: Bachiller Don Blás de Sta. Rosa (1703)
Dr. Luciano P.R. Santiago
The surname of Padre Blás was very typical of those of early Filipinos who adopted saint’s names as patronymics. This practice would later wreak havoc on colonial records and impel the Governor General Don Narciso Clavería to prohibit the assumption of saints’ names in his decree on the systemization of Filipino patronymics in 1849. (It should be noted that Spanish friars also carried saints’ names, but these they took only upon investiture.)
Sta.Rosa de Lima, the first saint of the New World, became very popular in the Islands after her canonization in 1671 when she was declared patron saint of the Americas and the Philippines. Henceforth, her name was used extensively both as first name for girls and as surname. This is borne out by examining any 18th century baptismal book of a Philippine parish. Available records indicate that Blás de Sta. Rosa was most probably born on February 3, 1678 (Feast of San Blás), or a few years after the canonization of Sta. Rosa. (1)
The Bachiller Sta. Rosa graduated from the University of Sto. Tomás in 1692 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was one of the earliest native graduates of the venerable institution. Since the first Indios to be admitted to the Manila colleges, except Letrán, were Pampangos, it is very likely that Sta. Rosa originated from Pampanga. Sta. Rosa was also apparently a relative of another Pampango priest, Bachiller Don Gregorio de Sta. Rosa y Ramos, one of the Filipino priests ordained by Archbishop Cuesta in 1723. (2)
Manila Archbishop Diego Camacho y Ávila (1697-1706), founder of the Filipino clergy, ordained Sta. Rosa together with Br. Don Alfonzo Baluio y Garzía, another Pampango, on the ember days after Pentecost in May or June of 1703. On September 7, the same day that Baluio was proclaimed missionary of Abra de Vigan, Sta. Rosa was appointed proprietary parish priest of San Policarpio de Tabuco (now Cabuyao, Laguna). Thus, he became the first Filipino Indio pastor not only in the archdiocese of Manila but in the entire Philippines. The extensive parish of Tabuco had just been divided by the archbishop on December 9, 1702 into two curacies: that of Tabuco proper, which included the Dominican Hacienda of San Juán Bautista de Calamba, and the new parish of San Pedro de Tunazán which encompassed the town of Biñán. By competitive examinations, Sta. Rosa had won the now somewhat reduced parish of Tabuco, while the Spanish Maestro Don Protazio Cabezas later obtained the curacy of Tunazán on May 2, 1704. The latter was to become vicar general (1717-1741) and then bishop of Cebú (1741-1752) and a staunch supporter of Filipino priests. (3)
A few months after the arrival of Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta of the Order of St. Hieronymus, Camacho’s successor, Sta. Rosa fell ill and was still convalescing in November 1707 according to a report of Mro. Cabezas, who had been appointed vicar forane of Laguna. The following year, in line with Cuesta’s notion that indio priests ordained by Camacho were incompetent and unworthy, the suspicious prelate through his secretary ordered Cabezas to conduct a secret investigation on the life and labors of the first brown pastor of the archdiocese. There were reports, apparently coming from friars of surrounding estancias (ranches), that he was negligent in celebrating The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and that he lived outside his parish. Without waiting, however, for the results of the inquiry, Cuesta, evidently assuming the charges to be true, went ahead and wrote his now famous letter to the king dated June 20, 1708 denouncing the incompetence and unworthiness of his predecessor’s native ordinees. Four days later, his vicar forane, Mro. Cabezas, filed a glowing report on Sta. Rosa to the archdiocesan secretary vouching for the Indio priest’s integrity and diligence! Citing witnesses, including Don Juán Ruiz Ximenes, the Spanish administrator of the Hacienda of Calamba, Cabezas affirmed that Sta. Rosa said Masses regularly for his parishioners, including on feasts marked with “two crosses” and Saturdays, which even his Spanish predecessors were not wont to do for many years before him. The only exception was when he was incapacitated by illness. He had a house on his farm, which was, however, no farther from his church than Binondo is from Malate. But he stayed there mostly at harvest time and for convalescence. (4)
He seemed to have been in frail health most of his life. In the middle of 1710, he applied for a sick leave and asked for another priest to replace him in his post. However, the Spanish presbyter who was sent to Tabuco, Licenciado Don Joseph de Alfaro, turned out to be unable to speak a word of Tagalog so that Sta. Rosa refused to turn the parish over to him. A month later, he was still begging for a sick leave and this time it was apparently granted. (5)
Despite his delicate health, it was he who built the parish church of Tabuco (Cabuyao). This is recorded in another extant letter of his, dated November 15, 1716, addressed to Archbishop Cuesta regarding the progress of the church construction. He recounted that since the town had transferred to a higher site fifty-one years earlier (1665), it had not had a permanent house of worship. He had personally gone up to the mountain (he was probably referring to Mount Makiling) to select the best timber for it. Now he was asking the archbishop and through him, the governor-general, to exempt the community from paying tributes for the duration of the work. (6) He was the first Filipino priest to build a church.
After a lifetime of service to his parish, he died in the middle of 1733 in the thirtieth year of his priesthood, when he was in his mid-50s. In his last will and testament, he bequeathed the then munificent sum of 998 pesos as a pious endowment (obra pía) for the maintenance of the church he had built during his long term. The church still stands today. He was replaced in the interim by his coadjutor, Br. Don Matheo Graña, another Indio Pampango. On September 15, 1733, the proprietary pastorship of Tabuco was won through synodal examinations by a more experienced Indio Pampango presbyter, Br. Don Joseph Nuñes. The parish remained in the hands of native priests to the end of the Spanish regime. (7)
Note: The principal reference for this article is: Luciano P.R. Santiago. The Hidden Light. The First Filipino Priests. (Quezon City: New Day, 1987) pp. 80-83.
ENDNOTES
1.Archives of the Archdiocese of Manila (AAM). “Letter of Mro. Don Protazio Cabezas, San Pedro de Tunazán, June 24, 1708.” Cartas escriptas al Mro. Don Phelipe de Molina (CPM) (1707-24); Narciso Clavería. Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos. (Manila: 1849) Reprinted by the National Archives (Manila: 1973); BR 37: 145; 54-5 (Index): passim.
2.Archives of the University of Sto. Tomás (AUST). Asientos de Grados, Facultad de Philosophía. (1663-1713); USTAA. UST Graduate Listing. 1611-1971. (Manila: UST, 1972) p. 2-A; Horacio de la Costa, S.J. Readings in Philippine History (Manila: Bookmark, 1965) p.85; Evergisto Bazaco, O.P. Historia Documentada del Real Colegio de San Juán de Letrán. (Manila: UST, 1933); AAM. Libro de Gobierno Ecclesiástico (LGE) (1707-1723). folios 178-8vuelto.
3.AAM. LGE (1697-1706). ff. 255v, 257 and 277v; Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. vol. 6 (1730-1799). p. 313.
4.AAM. “Letter of Cabezas, Tunazán, June 24, 1708.” CPM. Feasts marked with two crosses (daggers) in the liturgical calendar are feasts of lower rank.
5.AAM. “Letters of Sta. Rosa, Tabuco, May 22 & June 23, 1710.” CPM.
6.AAM. “Letter of Sta. Rosa, Tabuco, Nov. 15, 1716.” Cartas Escriptas al Dr. Don Francisco de la Cuesta, Arzobispo de Manila (1707-23).
7.AAM. Capellanías de Misas. (1910-15) D. (There is a 1748 list of capellanías and obras pías here which is misplaced.); Exámenes para Provisión de Curatos (1729-34); Catálogos del Clero Secular (18th and 19th centuries) passim.
We are sincerely asking for your prayers for the repose of the soul of Fray Blas de Sta.Rosa, The first Filipino parish priest in our country.............
"Golf is very much like a love affair, if you don't take it seriously, it's no fun, if you do, it breaks your heart. Don't break your heart, but flirt with the possibility." ~ Louise Suggs
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature - Anne Frank
______________________________________________________________________
i starred that night, i shone:
i was footwork and firework in one
a rocket that wriggled up and shot darkness with a parasol of brilliants
and a peewee descant on a flung bit
i was blusters of glitter-bombs expanding to mantle and aurora from a crown
i was fouéttes, falls of blazing paint
para-flares spot-welding cloudy heaven
loose gold off fierce toeholds of white
a finale red-tongued as a haka leap: that too was a butt of all right!
as usual after any triumph, i was
of course, inconsolable
performance
by les murray
The Flaming Sunbird (Aethopyga flagrans) is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Male: Very colourful feathers.
Female: Less colourful feathers.
Philippine Birds
Taken at the Jamboree Site, Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Los Banos, Laguna.
30 January 2013, 10:38 am
This golden brown young jumper (approx. 2mm) glowed when hit by the diffused light of SB400 ! Am using Reversed Nikkor lens @18mm + extension tube, f/11
Taken during the Pinoy Macro EBBS @Pook ni Ma. Makiling on Dec. 5, 2009
Our Beloved Church will undergo yet another major and ridiculously awful renovation. It was already approved that a 'right wing' adjacent to the already existing left wing(former Sacristy) of the church will soon be constructed.This will mean making a hole at the side of the ancient Church, destroying the structure and its massive buttress which supports the walls. Worst, the Cursillo House, who has retained its original adobe walls will also be damaged by this un-necessary expansion. The construction of the second church of Cabuyao was initiated by the First Filipino Parish priest, Fray Blas de Sta. Rosa, a native pampango (kapampangan). Materials for its construction was personally hand picked by the priest himself, meaning to say, the church is truly historic not just in structure but in its components as well. He died soon before the church is completed, but he donated his lifetime savings just to continue its construction. The second church was inaugurated on January 26, 1771. Our church had suffered so much. I hope many will realize the value of loosing another part of our heritage.
isa lang poh ang nakikita kong dahilan nito kaya urgent ang construction... recently poh ksi nagkaroon ng dispute between cursillo and church... sabihin na poh nating 'revenge' itoh ng pari sa cabuyao...
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CHURCH OF CABUYAO?
TERCENTENARY OF THE INSTALLATION OF THE FIRST
FILIPINO PARISH PRIEST: Bachiller Don Blás de Sta. Rosa (1703)
Dr. Luciano P.R. Santiago
The surname of Padre Blás was very typical of those of early Filipinos who adopted saint’s names as patronymics. This practice would later wreak havoc on colonial records and impel the Governor General Don Narciso Clavería to prohibit the assumption of saints’ names in his decree on the systemization of Filipino patronymics in 1849. (It should be noted that Spanish friars also carried saints’ names, but these they took only upon investiture.)
Sta.Rosa de Lima, the first saint of the New World, became very popular in the Islands after her canonization in 1671 when she was declared patron saint of the Americas and the Philippines. Henceforth, her name was used extensively both as first name for girls and as surname. This is borne out by examining any 18th century baptismal book of a Philippine parish. Available records indicate that Blás de Sta. Rosa was most probably born on February 3, 1678 (Feast of San Blás), or a few years after the canonization of Sta. Rosa. (1)
The Bachiller Sta. Rosa graduated from the University of Sto. Tomás in 1692 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was one of the earliest native graduates of the venerable institution. Since the first Indios to be admitted to the Manila colleges, except Letrán, were Pampangos, it is very likely that Sta. Rosa originated from Pampanga. Sta. Rosa was also apparently a relative of another Pampango priest, Bachiller Don Gregorio de Sta. Rosa y Ramos, one of the Filipino priests ordained by Archbishop Cuesta in 1723. (2)
Manila Archbishop Diego Camacho y Ávila (1697-1706), founder of the Filipino clergy, ordained Sta. Rosa together with Br. Don Alfonzo Baluio y Garzía, another Pampango, on the ember days after Pentecost in May or June of 1703. On September 7, the same day that Baluio was proclaimed missionary of Abra de Vigan, Sta. Rosa was appointed proprietary parish priest of San Policarpio de Tabuco (now Cabuyao, Laguna). Thus, he became the first Filipino Indio pastor not only in the archdiocese of Manila but in the entire Philippines. The extensive parish of Tabuco had just been divided by the archbishop on December 9, 1702 into two curacies: that of Tabuco proper, which included the Dominican Hacienda of San Juán Bautista de Calamba, and the new parish of San Pedro de Tunazán which encompassed the town of Biñán. By competitive examinations, Sta. Rosa had won the now somewhat reduced parish of Tabuco, while the Spanish Maestro Don Protazio Cabezas later obtained the curacy of Tunazán on May 2, 1704. The latter was to become vicar general (1717-1741) and then bishop of Cebú (1741-1752) and a staunch supporter of Filipino priests. (3)
A few months after the arrival of Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta of the Order of St. Hieronymus, Camacho’s successor, Sta. Rosa fell ill and was still convalescing in November 1707 according to a report of Mro. Cabezas, who had been appointed vicar forane of Laguna. The following year, in line with Cuesta’s notion that indio priests ordained by Camacho were incompetent and unworthy, the suspicious prelate through his secretary ordered Cabezas to conduct a secret investigation on the life and labors of the first brown pastor of the archdiocese. There were reports, apparently coming from friars of surrounding estancias (ranches), that he was negligent in celebrating The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and that he lived outside his parish. Without waiting, however, for the results of the inquiry, Cuesta, evidently assuming the charges to be true, went ahead and wrote his now famous letter to the king dated June 20, 1708 denouncing the incompetence and unworthiness of his predecessor’s native ordinees. Four days later, his vicar forane, Mro. Cabezas, filed a glowing report on Sta. Rosa to the archdiocesan secretary vouching for the Indio priest’s integrity and diligence! Citing witnesses, including Don Juán Ruiz Ximenes, the Spanish administrator of the Hacienda of Calamba, Cabezas affirmed that Sta. Rosa said Masses regularly for his parishioners, including on feasts marked with “two crosses” and Saturdays, which even his Spanish predecessors were not wont to do for many years before him. The only exception was when he was incapacitated by illness. He had a house on his farm, which was, however, no farther from his church than Binondo is from Malate. But he stayed there mostly at harvest time and for convalescence. (4)
He seemed to have been in frail health most of his life. In the middle of 1710, he applied for a sick leave and asked for another priest to replace him in his post. However, the Spanish presbyter who was sent to Tabuco, Licenciado Don Joseph de Alfaro, turned out to be unable to speak a word of Tagalog so that Sta. Rosa refused to turn the parish over to him. A month later, he was still begging for a sick leave and this time it was apparently granted. (5)
Despite his delicate health, it was he who built the parish church of Tabuco (Cabuyao). This is recorded in another extant letter of his, dated November 15, 1716, addressed to Archbishop Cuesta regarding the progress of the church construction. He recounted that since the town had transferred to a higher site fifty-one years earlier (1665), it had not had a permanent house of worship. He had personally gone up to the mountain (he was probably referring to Mount Makiling) to select the best timber for it. Now he was asking the archbishop and through him, the governor-general, to exempt the community from paying tributes for the duration of the work. (6) He was the first Filipino priest to build a church.
After a lifetime of service to his parish, he died in the middle of 1733 in the thirtieth year of his priesthood, when he was in his mid-50s. In his last will and testament, he bequeathed the then munificent sum of 998 pesos as a pious endowment (obra pía) for the maintenance of the church he had built during his long term. The church still stands today. He was replaced in the interim by his coadjutor, Br. Don Matheo Graña, another Indio Pampango. On September 15, 1733, the proprietary pastorship of Tabuco was won through synodal examinations by a more experienced Indio Pampango presbyter, Br. Don Joseph Nuñes. The parish remained in the hands of native priests to the end of the Spanish regime. (7)
Note: The principal reference for this article is: Luciano P.R. Santiago. The Hidden Light. The First Filipino Priests. (Quezon City: New Day, 1987) pp. 80-83.
ENDNOTES
1.Archives of the Archdiocese of Manila (AAM). “Letter of Mro. Don Protazio Cabezas, San Pedro de Tunazán, June 24, 1708.” Cartas escriptas al Mro. Don Phelipe de Molina (CPM) (1707-24); Narciso Clavería. Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos. (Manila: 1849) Reprinted by the National Archives (Manila: 1973); BR 37: 145; 54-5 (Index): passim.
2.Archives of the University of Sto. Tomás (AUST). Asientos de Grados, Facultad de Philosophía. (1663-1713); USTAA. UST Graduate Listing. 1611-1971. (Manila: UST, 1972) p. 2-A; Horacio de la Costa, S.J. Readings in Philippine History (Manila: Bookmark, 1965) p.85; Evergisto Bazaco, O.P. Historia Documentada del Real Colegio de San Juán de Letrán. (Manila: UST, 1933); AAM. Libro de Gobierno Ecclesiástico (LGE) (1707-1723). folios 178-8vuelto.
3.AAM. LGE (1697-1706). ff. 255v, 257 and 277v; Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. vol. 6 (1730-1799). p. 313.
4.AAM. “Letter of Cabezas, Tunazán, June 24, 1708.” CPM. Feasts marked with two crosses (daggers) in the liturgical calendar are feasts of lower rank.
5.AAM. “Letters of Sta. Rosa, Tabuco, May 22 & June 23, 1710.” CPM.
6.AAM. “Letter of Sta. Rosa, Tabuco, Nov. 15, 1716.” Cartas Escriptas al Dr. Don Francisco de la Cuesta, Arzobispo de Manila (1707-23).
7.AAM. Capellanías de Misas. (1910-15) D. (There is a 1748 list of capellanías and obras pías here which is misplaced.); Exámenes para Provisión de Curatos (1729-34); Catálogos del Clero Secular (18th and 19th centuries) passim.
as if time stood still when a tourist glider plane took this photo during the 1930's, immortalizing the peaceful look of the old town of Cabuyao... Here can be seen the town plaza, the parish church and convent, the old municipio and the sorrounding houses in the old poblacion... such a wonderful scene indeed...
This photo was recently discovered at the UST archives...
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. - Anne Frank
Early morning shot of Belle Inn, Tagaytay Highlands, overlooking Laguna de Bay (to right side are Mt. Makiling and Mt. Banahaw where the sun is rising, will be posted later)
Due to popular demand, I am sharing my technique using the reverse lens - one hand macroshoot method and the KFC Flash Diffuser + Nikon SB 400.
-This short video shows that you can come up with a STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA (SOOC) macro with the reversed 18-55mm kit lens, and also... how to spot and handle bugs for a photo shoot using this set-up.
(no bugs were harmed during the filming of this video)
Taken during the 3rd Pinoy Macro EB/BS - Makiling Botanic Gardens Los Banos, Laguna
July 25-26, 2009
thanks to Mr. Scruff for the "Kalimba" musical scoring.
The Flaming Sunbird (Aethopyga flagrans) is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Male: Very colourful feathers.
Female: Less colourful feathers.
Philippine Birds
Tomorrow, February 3, the Parish of Cabuyao will be celebrating the 332nd Birthday of the first Filipino Parish Priest in our country and of our parish in Cabuyao and the master builder and architect of the second church of the town, Fray Blas De Sta. Rosa...
The photo above is the second church of Cabuyao, built by the bachiller after the first church, built in 1639, was flooded due to endless water coming down from the mountains of Sierra Madre in 1665.... It was inaugurated on the 26th of January, 1771....
TERCENTENARY OF THE INSTALLATION OF THE FIRST
FILIPINO PARISH PRIEST: Bachiller Don Blás de Sta. Rosa (1703)
Dr. Luciano P.R. Santiago
The surname of Padre Blás was very typical of those of early Filipinos who adopted saint’s names as patronymics. This practice would later wreak havoc on colonial records and impel the Governor General Don Narciso Clavería to prohibit the assumption of saints’ names in his decree on the systemization of Filipino patronymics in 1849. (It should be noted that Spanish friars also carried saints’ names, but these they took only upon investiture.)
Sta.Rosa de Lima, the first saint of the New World, became very popular in the Islands after her canonization in 1671 when she was declared patron saint of the Americas and the Philippines. Henceforth, her name was used extensively both as first name for girls and as surname. This is borne out by examining any 18th century baptismal book of a Philippine parish. Available records indicate that Blás de Sta. Rosa was most probably born on February 3, 1678 (Feast of San Blás), or a few years after the canonization of Sta. Rosa. (1)
The Bachiller Sta. Rosa graduated from the University of Sto. Tomás in 1692 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was one of the earliest native graduates of the venerable institution. Since the first Indios to be admitted to the Manila colleges, except Letrán, were Pampangos, it is very likely that Sta. Rosa originated from Pampanga. Sta. Rosa was also apparently a relative of another Pampango priest, Bachiller Don Gregorio de Sta. Rosa y Ramos, one of the Filipino priests ordained by Archbishop Cuesta in 1723. (2)
Manila Archbishop Diego Camacho y Ávila (1697-1706), founder of the Filipino clergy, ordained Sta. Rosa together with Br. Don Alfonzo Baluio y Garzía, another Pampango, on the ember days after Pentecost in May or June of 1703. On September 7, the same day that Baluio was proclaimed missionary of Abra de Vigan, Sta. Rosa was appointed proprietary parish priest of San Policarpio de Tabuco (now Cabuyao, Laguna). Thus, he became the first Filipino Indio pastor not only in the archdiocese of Manila but in the entire Philippines. The extensive parish of Tabuco had just been divided by the archbishop on December 9, 1702 into two curacies: that of Tabuco proper, which included the Dominican Hacienda of San Juán Bautista de Calamba, and the new parish of San Pedro de Tunazán which encompassed the town of Biñán. By competitive examinations, Sta. Rosa had won the now somewhat reduced parish of Tabuco, while the Spanish Maestro Don Protazio Cabezas later obtained the curacy of Tunazán on May 2, 1704. The latter was to become vicar general (1717-1741) and then bishop of Cebú (1741-1752) and a staunch supporter of Filipino priests. (3)
A few months after the arrival of Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta of the Order of St. Hieronymus, Camacho’s successor, Sta. Rosa fell ill and was still convalescing in November 1707 according to a report of Mro. Cabezas, who had been appointed vicar forane of Laguna. The following year, in line with Cuesta’s notion that indio priests ordained by Camacho were incompetent and unworthy, the suspicious prelate through his secretary ordered Cabezas to conduct a secret investigation on the life and labors of the first brown pastor of the archdiocese. There were reports, apparently coming from friars of surrounding estancias (ranches), that he was negligent in celebrating The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and that he lived outside his parish. Without waiting, however, for the results of the inquiry, Cuesta, evidently assuming the charges to be true, went ahead and wrote his now famous letter to the king dated June 20, 1708 denouncing the incompetence and unworthiness of his predecessor’s native ordinees. Four days later, his vicar forane, Mro. Cabezas, filed a glowing report on Sta. Rosa to the archdiocesan secretary vouching for the Indio priest’s integrity and diligence! Citing witnesses, including Don Juán Ruiz Ximenes, the Spanish administrator of the Hacienda of Calamba, Cabezas affirmed that Sta. Rosa said Masses regularly for his parishioners, including on feasts marked with “two crosses” and Saturdays, which even his Spanish predecessors were not wont to do for many years before him. The only exception was when he was incapacitated by illness. He had a house on his farm, which was, however, no farther from his church than Binondo is from Malate. But he stayed there mostly at harvest time and for convalescence. (4)
He seemed to have been in frail health most of his life. In the middle of 1710, he applied for a sick leave and asked for another priest to replace him in his post. However, the Spanish presbyter who was sent to Tabuco, Licenciado Don Joseph de Alfaro, turned out to be unable to speak a word of Tagalog so that Sta. Rosa refused to turn the parish over to him. A month later, he was still begging for a sick leave and this time it was apparently granted. (5)
Despite his delicate health, it was he who built the parish church of Tabuco (Cabuyao). This is recorded in another extant letter of his, dated November 15, 1716, addressed to Archbishop Cuesta regarding the progress of the church construction. He recounted that since the town had transferred to a higher site fifty-one years earlier (1665), it had not had a permanent house of worship. He had personally gone up to the mountain (he was probably referring to Mount Makiling) to select the best timber for it. Now he was asking the archbishop and through him, the governor-general, to exempt the community from paying tributes for the duration of the work. (6) He was the first Filipino priest to build a church.
After a lifetime of service to his parish, he died in the middle of 1733 in the thirtieth year of his priesthood, when he was in his mid-50s. In his last will and testament, he bequeathed the then munificent sum of 998 pesos as a pious endowment (obra pía) for the maintenance of the church he had built during his long term. The church still stands today. He was replaced in the interim by his coadjutor, Br. Don Matheo Graña, another Indio Pampango. On September 15, 1733, the proprietary pastorship of Tabuco was won through synodal examinations by a more experienced Indio Pampango presbyter, Br. Don Joseph Nuñes. The parish remained in the hands of native priests to the end of the Spanish regime. (7)
Note: The principal reference for this article is: Luciano P.R. Santiago. The Hidden Light. The First Filipino Priests. (Quezon City: New Day, 1987) pp. 80-83.
ENDNOTES
1.Archives of the Archdiocese of Manila (AAM). “Letter of Mro. Don Protazio Cabezas, San Pedro de Tunazán, June 24, 1708.” Cartas escriptas al Mro. Don Phelipe de Molina (CPM) (1707-24); Narciso Clavería. Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos. (Manila: 1849) Reprinted by the National Archives (Manila: 1973); BR 37: 145; 54-5 (Index): passim.
2.Archives of the University of Sto. Tomás (AUST). Asientos de Grados, Facultad de Philosophía. (1663-1713); USTAA. UST Graduate Listing. 1611-1971. (Manila: UST, 1972) p. 2-A; Horacio de la Costa, S.J. Readings in Philippine History (Manila: Bookmark, 1965) p.85; Evergisto Bazaco, O.P. Historia Documentada del Real Colegio de San Juán de Letrán. (Manila: UST, 1933); AAM. Libro de Gobierno Ecclesiástico (LGE) (1707-1723). folios 178-8vuelto.
3.AAM. LGE (1697-1706). ff. 255v, 257 and 277v; Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. vol. 6 (1730-1799). p. 313.
4.AAM. “Letter of Cabezas, Tunazán, June 24, 1708.” CPM. Feasts marked with two crosses (daggers) in the liturgical calendar are feasts of lower rank.
5.AAM. “Letters of Sta. Rosa, Tabuco, May 22 & June 23, 1710.” CPM.
6.AAM. “Letter of Sta. Rosa, Tabuco, Nov. 15, 1716.” Cartas Escriptas al Dr. Don Francisco de la Cuesta, Arzobispo de Manila (1707-23).
7.AAM. Capellanías de Misas. (1910-15) D. (There is a 1748 list of capellanías and obras pías here which is misplaced.); Exámenes para Provisión de Curatos (1729-34); Catálogos del Clero Secular (18th and 19th centuries) passim.
We are sincerely asking for your prayers for the repose of the soul of Fray Blas de Sta.Rosa, The first Filipino parish priest in our country.............
"Marya Fountain is our tribute to women who exemplify commitment and honor, excellence and service. Hereon, let generations of women who come to UPLB draw inspiration from Marya. " - The Sigma Delta Phi Sorority, 31 March 2012
© 2009 Philippines | Rodel Joselito Manabat | All Rights Reserved
EXPLORE #235 JULY 27 2009
Thanks to all who made this photo reach Explore.
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"Wag Maging Dayuhan Sa Sariling Bayan"
About
Taken at UPLB Botanical Garden, Mt. Makiling, Laguna during my first meet up with the Pinoy Macro Flickr Group.
Thanks to all organizers for making the EB a success.
Toys
Canon 40D, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L, Canon EF 12 Macro Extension Tube
Exposure
EV [ 0 ], f / 2.8, ISO 400
Processing
~Adobe Camera Raw~
Adjust recovery, fill, black, brightness, contrast, clarity, vibrance, saturation
Adjust luminance and colour (noise reduction)
~Photoshop~
Apply adjustment layer - curve
Borders
I can't draw nor paint with the brush but I know I can paint with the sun! Lumen print of Heliconia "Sexy Pink" flowers on 8x10 Ilford Multigrade IV Fiber base cooltone paper. Exposed under the Philippine sun! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconia_chartacea
Parakeet Heliconia lumen print on Ilford Multigrade FB Warmtone paper exposed under the Philippine sun for three hours! wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/1120/heliconia-psittacorum-p...
© Makiling Botanic Gardens, Los Baños UP, Laguna, Philippines, Southeast-Asia - Philippinen, Südost-Asien - All rights reserved. Image fully copyrighted. All my images strictly only available with written royalty agreement. If interested, please ask. - Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Alle meine Bilder generell nur mit schriftl. Honorarvereinbg. Bitte ggf. fragen. ©
Mount Makiling :
The mystical Mount Makiling is an inactive volcano rising to about 1,109 meters above sea level. The vegetation consists of approximately 2,048 different species of plant. The lower slope is a tall dipterocarp forest while the summit is a dwarf mossy forest. The slopes of Mt. Makiling are shaped to resemble a woman reclining, hence, the air of mysticism that surrounds the mountain. Legend has it that it is the profile of the sleeping Maria Makiling, a mythical goddess. Still others say that Maria Makiling dwells in this mountain and protects dwellers and travelers from harm.
Three hours sun exposure in the Philippines using Ilford multigrade IV FB paper. wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/1193/calathea-crotalifera-ra...
Mud Spring
Mount Makiling
Los Banos, Laguna
This site is one of the mud pots on Mount Makiling, an inactive volcano. A mud pot is a type of hot spring that is formed when due to volcanic heat, sulfuric acid breaks down surrounding rocks into clay. The clay mixes with water to form mud that is very hot (80 C), sulfurous (50mg/L), very acidic (2ph) and varying in consistency and color.
I WENT TO LOS BANOS. I WAS EARLY AND I SAW THIS LOVELY VIEW OF MT. MAKILING ALL COVERED WITH CLOUDS AND FOG.
I WENT OUT THE CAR AND TOOK THIS PHOTO. THANKS TO THOSE WHO VIEW, COMMENT AND FAVE MY PHOTOS. HAVE A HAPPY SUNDAY.
Lumen print of Mussaenda 'Dona Aurora' using Adorama variable grade fiber based paper. Exposed for three hours under the Philippine sun ! Mussaenda philippica (Tropical Dogwood) is native to the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. The flowers have white sepals and orangy-yellow flowers. It grows 3 to 5 metres (9 to 15 feet) tall in the wild, but in cultivation is more commonly seen as a shrub 1.8 to 2.5 metres (6 to 7 feet) high by 1.2 to 1.8 metres (4 to 6 feet) wide. This species is less widely seen than its well known cultivar Mussaenda philippica ‘Dona Aurora’ (Dona Aurora, Buddha’s Lamp). This was a chance sport first collected in 1915 by Calixto Mabesa on Mt Makiling and then recollected by Hugh Curran and Mamerto Sulit at the College of Forestry grounds at the University of the Philippines Los Banos in 1930. This cultivar has multiple floral sepals (often 5 per flower) instead of just one. This was propagated and dedicated in 1930 to Mrs Aurora Quezon, wife of the Philippines President. This plant is the parent of almost all hybrids. Source: gardendrum.com/2013/05/31/growing-mussaenda/
Lumen print of a cross section of torch ginger flowers on 8x10 Ilford Multigrade RC cooltone paper en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etlingera_elatior
Lumen print of Mussaenda 'Dona Aurora' using Adorama variable grade fiber based paper. Three hours exposure under the Philippine sun!Mussaenda philippica (Tropical Dogwood) is native to the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. The flowers have white sepals and orangy-yellow flowers. It grows 3 to 5 metres (9 to 15 feet) tall in the wild, but in cultivation is more commonly seen as a shrub 1.8 to 2.5 metres (6 to 7 feet) high by 1.2 to 1.8 metres (4 to 6 feet) wide. This species is less widely seen than its well known cultivar Mussaenda philippica ‘Dona Aurora’ (Dona Aurora, Buddha’s Lamp). This was a chance sport first collected in 1915 by Calixto Mabesa on Mt Makiling and then recollected by Hugh Curran and Mamerto Sulit at the College of Forestry grounds at the University of the Philippines Los Banos in 1930. This cultivar has multiple floral sepals (often 5 per flower) instead of just one. This was propagated and dedicated in 1930 to Mrs Aurora Quezon, wife of the Philippines President. This plant is the parent of almost all hybrids. Source: gardendrum.com/2013/05/31/growing-mussaenda/