Maribojoc Church reopens

RISING FROM THE RUINS: The reconstructed Maribojoc Church opens to the public on Sunday, eight years after it was destroyed by the powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated Bohol province on Oct. 15, 2013. (Photo by LEO UDTOHAN / Inquirer Visayas)

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Philippines — The rebuilt Santa Cruz Parish, popularly known as Maribojoc Church in Bohol province, opened to the public on Sunday, eight years after it was destroyed by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in 2013.

Archbishop Charles John Brown, the Catholic Church’s Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, said it was timely to reopen the church doors on the third Sunday of Advent, also known as “Gaudete,” or “Rejoice” Sunday.

“This joy is overflowing as we enter this beautiful church. This church represents so wonderfully the cooperation and collaboration between the Church and the state,” he said.

Also present during the opening of the Maribojoc Church along with Brown were Spanish Ambassador Jorge Moragas Sanchez and eight bishops from the Visayas and Mindanao, including Bishop Alberto Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, which has jurisdiction over Maribojoc town.

The church was filled with parishioners who were overjoyed to witness the celebration on Sunday.

BEFORE: The stately Maribojoc Church, which was built in 1886, was reduced to a pile of rubble by the 7.2 earthquake that hit Bohol province on Oct. 15, 2013. (Photo by LEO UDTOHAN / Inquirer Visayas)

At least 24 other ancient churches in Bohol were either destroyed or damaged by the strong earthquake on Oct. 15, 2013. Ten were considered national heritage landmarks, including the Santa Cruz Parish Church in Maribojoc town, which was declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2010 by the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP).

Meticulous restoration

“As we move forward with our lives, we will be a stronger community across all sectors. Cherish all the more our landmarks and monuments, faith, heritage, and identity. And together we must ensure that they stand for more generations to come as the treasure and pride of all that we want to pass on,” said Jeremy Barns, director-general of the NMP, which supervised the reconstruction of the church.

Bishop Uy said the rehabilitation of Bohol churches was proof that the cooperation of the Church and state, guided by bilateral and mutual agreement, worked in Bohol.

The Maribojoc Church was a faithful reconstruction of the destroyed edifice built in1886. The paintings in the ceiling by early 20th-century artist Raymundo Francia were meticulously restored by local artists.