Sagada to have its 1st Catholic church

MANILA, Philippines—The resort town of Sagada in Mountain Province will finally have its first Roman Catholic Church whose construction is set to get underway this year, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippine said Friday.

The Sagada Catholic church will serve as the new center of the Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe.

“In our desire to expand the Catholic presence in Sagada, we see the need to continue the construction of a shrine. The church will also provide a devotional destination for Catholic tourists who are looking for a church nearby where they can pray or celebrate the Eucharist,” Fr. Pablo Lumiwan, Sagada Mission rector, was quoted by the CBCP as saying.

The ground breaking for the church was held in 2009 but its construction was delayed due to lack of funding.

A popular tourist destination, Sagada boasts of cloud covered mountains, pine forests, magnificent caves, graceful rice terraces and dramatic falls for adventure tourists to explore.

The dominant church in the mountain town is Episcopalian, whose first missionaries arrived in the area in 1907. Sagada is said to be 95-percent Episcopalian. The Episcopalian Church in the Philippines celebrated its centennial there in 2007.

On the other hand, the Catholic mission of the Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe is still confined to the far-flung Barangay of Kilong, which is a 30-minute drive from the town center.

“Until now we still have no Catholic Church in the town proper for our Catholic tourists to visit or attend Masses,” Lumiwan said.

A fund-raising concert in Manila has been set for May to augment the Sagada mission center’s limited resources for the church-building project.

The CBCP said that “Sagada In My Mind” concert will be held at the chapel of the University of Santo Tomas on May 4 in coordination with the UST’s Santisimo Rosario Parish. Performers include the renowned choir of Coro San Jacinto and Cagayan State University Ensemble under the baton of Fr. Ranhilio Aquino together with the UST Symphony Orchestra.

“The concert aims to raise the awareness and generosity of the faithful in supporting our Vicariate to achieve the dream of establishing our own church in such a beautiful town,” Lumiwan said.