SAN ROQUE PARISH CHURCH: A Glimpse of Its Wealth and Beauty

I have always been wondering why churches were grandiosely built and lavishly decorated. Everytime I get to visit churches from different places, it has always been my expectation that it would be as exquisite as the previous one I’ve been. In fact, there are even times that some surpass the lavish architectural beauty of the others. Correspondingly, these religious places never failed to fascinate me. I found out that a theological message is behind the extravagant structure of churches, that is to convey the great glory and power of God.

Take for example my very own hometown church, the San Roque Parish Church. It is an exquisitely built architecture and the only Catholic Church in Cordova, Cebu which is generally the landmark building of the town.

Before it had come to attain its progress, it had undergone first numerous of changes and development both on its physical structure and spiritual drift.

In the beginning, there was no such town as Cordova until the three barangays- Gabi, Day-as and Pilipog separated from the town of Opon and merged to form a town. Governor-General Rafael de Echague y Birmingham gave the name “Cordoba” which means “stark nakedness” and “bare” derived from the name Cordoba, España and it was decreed on May 22, 1863.

A year after the establishment of the town, the people constructed the new Catholic church in honor of its patron saint, St. Roque of Montpellier, France which at the same time is the first Cebuano parish constructed in honor of the said saint. St. Roque turned out to be the patron saint because at that time, leprosy was prevalent in Cordova. St. Roque, himself a victim of leprosy, was the saint especially invoked against the plague.
           The construction of the church spearheaded by Rev. Fr. Jose Salazar OAR, the first parish priest, was finished on October 8, 1864. It was made up only of stone and wood (tabigue pampango) while the roof was of nipa. Further, it measured 27.5 m long, 5.90 m wide and 5.0 m high.

In 1891, Fr. Pedro Medina initially built the present convent of masonry and wood which was partially done on 1893. Nonetheless, it was completed by Fr. Jose Baztan on 1896.

   The church and the convent were the living signs of Spanish influence having maintained their original design except for some renovations. These were the proofs that Spain was able to spread the seed of Christianity by teaching the natives or the indios as Spaniards called them the “Doctrina Christiana” and administering the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist and matrimony.

On November 25, 1877, a typhoon struck the town destroying the church and the convent. Fr. Jose Baztan supervised its reconstruction. Under one of the economic institutions of Spain called polo y servicios of forced labor on a daily quota basis, he required every male resident to quarry massive rocks and coral stones for the church. Known to be a priest with an unfriendly disposition, the people feared him because failure of delivery of the quarried rocks would mean public lashings. Incidentally, Fr. Jose Baztan was assassinated at the plaza of Opon on April 4, 1898 probably by the people who were victims of his notoriety. His cadaver was thrown into the sea.

Several reconstructions followed to strengthen the foundation of the church and to make it more exquisitely built as it is the temple of God. First, during its Diamond Anniversary on 1924, a remarkable change took place as Rev. Fr. Lucas Incon supervised the reconstruction of the old church by adding new materials to make it concrete. However, it was not completed. When the Word War II erupted in 1942 and eventually stopped, leaving the church with dilapidated and destructed parts, the second reconstruction was done by Rev. Fr. Antonio van Odijk, MSC in 1949 replacing the destroyed parts with new material. Subsequently, a third reconstruction administered by Rev. Fr. Martin van’t Westiende took place when te population grew in 1962.

The parish further grew in the structural aspect. There was a ceiling project done in July 1988 in response to Cardinal Vidal’s sigh, staring at the bare roof when he unexpectedly gazed at it on his visit in Cordova. Then a major renovation on its altar was done during Fr. Mercurio “Cur” Montenegro’s administration in 1994. Later, during Fr. Roberto “Bob” Villanueva’s time Arch. Hillardo Sitoy, an architect of the town, took charge of the expansion of both sides of the church.

To achieve these various church improvements, different means of campaign were undertaken: firstly, the fund-raising campaigns initiated by the Knight of Columbos, secondly the raffle draws held from time to time and thirdly the donations from the people of Cordova with charitable hearts.

On 1999, the altar’s flooring was being modernized. Then recently, railings for the church were built. The present parish priest, Fr. Alvin Lao, led the construction of tennis court in the church ground which invigorated the enthusiasm of the people especially the sports-oriented one. The left side of the church was turned into a multi-purpose ground and below the right belfry, a new air-conditioned room was put up.


 The design of the church was greatly influenced by the integration of Moorish and Gothic styles. Upon entering its main portal, one can note the influence of Gothic because it had pointed arch and with a carving of St. Roque on it. Inside the church, pointed arches. Quatrefoil openings relieved the plain walls above the semi-circular arcade. The façade was divided into three sections by the four fluted Corinthian columns ending up in pointed pediments. The fluted columns also used the Egyptian palm leaf capital. Side windows were also Gothic inspired which made a god combination with the semi-circular arched arcade. The church was also decorated with stained glass with images of angels and holy symbols like the cross and others. On the altar, one could easily see the large stained glass depicting Jesus kneeling and praying with the angels around him. The images on the stained glass could be clearly seen as light hits it providing a figurative and narrative art on the church.

  

In retrospect, the first golden years of the church was mostly administered by Order of Augustinian Recollect Missionaries (OAR) with a vision of living as a model of love while responding to the will of God and the call of the church for the transformation of the people they serve into a community that enjoys the fullness of life. From 1864, the year it was established, until 1908, a roster of 14 Augustinian priests served the church and evangelized the Christian faith.

The task of rebuilding and strengthening its structure and practices was succeeded by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (C.SS.R) on 1909. Years after, the secular CSSR priests and Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) joined their forces to carry out the parish works and duties. The priests who took turn in running San Roque Parish Church were foreign coming from different countries and under different religious order until such time that Filipino priests were now handling the parochial activities. All in all, there were 52 priests who administered the church including the present parish priest that Cordovanhons have now.

He is Fr. Alvin B. Lao, MSC. He was born on October 16, 1954 in Cebu City and is now 57 years old. His hometown is Lapu-lapu City. He graduated in San Carlos Seminary College in Cebu City. He had spent 32 years in religious life and 29 years in the priestly ministry. He started administering the church on March 31, 2005. Various church improvements inside and outside the church premises were his contributions wherein the parishioners took part by means of their all out support financially and morally. He continued the legacy of his predecessors as he administered the church very well.

Basically, the church serves as the mystery, the people of God and the body of Christ. It is the medium for the propagation of faith, evangelization and building of the Catholic faith of the Cordovanhons. It also teaches its parishioners about the salvation of the Lord.

Learned practices and caught values from life creates several organizations in the church which helped in carrying out its general drift namely, the Couples for Christ (CFC), Catholic Women’s League (CWL), Holy Face, Parish Renewal Experience Family (PREX FAMILY), Knights of Columbus( K of C), Legion of Mary (LOM), World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF), Marian Cenacle and many more.

            These organizations have implemented several programs that promote community weal and help build up the moral and spiritual aspect of the parishioners.

             The San Roque Parish Church has so much to offer and show. This is just a part of how great it is. It has overcome a multitude of struggles and has undergone several happenings that mold its physical and spiritual aspect while spreading the good news and the word of God to the people. One can see, feel and touch its progress and development as he visits the church, a living proof of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Joining Sentences ( Assignment # 3)

1.
Mark Twain is the author of Huckleberry Finn.
Huckleberry Finn is a classic American novel.
Mark Twain's real name was Samuel L. Clemens.
He lived in Hartford for several years.

Mark Twain whose real name was Samuel L. Clemens was the author of the classic American novel entitled Huckleberry Finn and lived in Hartford for several years.

2.
Mark Twain's house was very elaborate and elegant.
It was on Farmington Avenue.
It was in an area called Nook Farm.
He was a neighbor of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. 

Mark Twain lived in a very elaborate and elegant house on Farmington Avenue in an area called Nook Farm and was a neighbor of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

3.
Mark Twain's home has a large side porch.
Windows and a balcony overlook the porch.
Today, people say the windows and balcony remind them of a steamboat.
In his youth, Twain piloted steamboats on the Mississippi.

The windows and the balcony that overlook the large size porch of Mark Twain’s home remind people today of a steamboat, something which Twain used to pilot in his youth on the Mississippi.

4.
Mark Twain was one of the first three people in Hartford to own a telephone.
The telephone was first used commercially in nearby New Haven.
There was practically no one to talk to.
Mark Twain never really liked this newfangled gadget. 

Mark Twain was one of the three people in Hartford to own a telephone which was first used in nearby New Haven but never really liked this new fangled gadget since there was practically no one to talk to.

5.
Mark Twain loved industrial inventions.
He lost a fortune investing in them.
One of these inventions was the elaborate Paige typesetter.
Unfortunately for Twain, this machine was developed at the same time as the Linotype.The Linotype machine was much simpler and less expensive.

Mark Twain’s love for Industrial inventions lost him a fortune when he invested on the elaborate Paige typesetter which, unfortunately for him, was developed at the same time as the Linotype, a much simpler and less expensive machine.

Paraphrasing (Assignment # 2)

(Excerpts from Plato and Aristotle On Beauty and Imitation)


1. Aristotle on the other hand, believed that imitation involves human experience and in that sense he saw a role for the arts. According to Aristotle, the artist has the freedom to imitate aspects of nature, but he does insist on the unity of form (formal and structural qualities). Aristotle explains form in terms of its “causes” by which he means any external factor (apart from “matter”’) that explains why something is the way it is, and what function it can perform. In short, form is that which causes something to be the thing it is. So whereas Plato’s form relates to Ideal forms, Aristotle relates form to something inherent in the object.

Paraphrase:

1. Aristotle thought that imitation calls for human experience and there was a purpose for the arts in that sense. He affirmed that artists are free in imitating the aspects of nature considering the unity of their forms i.e. their structural qualities and  regarded form as an external factor that causes something to be the way it is and functions as it is. Different to what Plato believed that imitation is concerned with ideal forms, Aristotle related that form exists as an essential constituent in the object.

(Excerpts from Plato and Aristotle On Beauty and Imitation)

2. Another difference between Plato and Aristotle is the way they discuss imitation in relationship to beauty. For Plato, beauty is an idea, something abstract that is revealed in the order of the natural world. Hence the importance he placed on mathematics as the key to understanding the natural world. For Aristotle, beauty is something real, it is also a function of form, it is not abstract as for Plato, but it is grounded in an object. In other words, it is bound to a context.

Paraphrase:

2. Another contrast of ideas between Plato and Aristotle is the way they discourse the relationship of  imitation to beauty. For Plato, beauty is ideal, an intangible concept that is unveiled in the order of the natural world. In contrast to what he believed, Aristotle viewed beauty as something real and is a function of form which is bound to a context.

Berger's "Ways of Seeing" ( Assignment # 1)

     The essay entitled Berger's "Ways of Seeing" is all about how art was viewed by the people from the past and how it is looked at now. It also explained the evolution that art had undergone from the 1500's to the modern day and the role that traditional painting portrayed to the said dramatic  change.

     These are the points that support these ideas which are quoted from the essay:

• "During the time of traditional oil painting, from 1500-1900, paintings were prized because they were the only way to capture a moment in time and possess it forever. This all changed at the advent of the camera which has manipulated the way we look at art today. Art is now able to be reproduced and many people can view it, not solely an elite few."
• "With the reproduction, arts value has been placed aesthetically and monetarily on a different level then before."
•  "On the other hand, art is more widely viewed and loved because of being about to put pictures in books, postcards or posters."
• "The way art is viewed has changed dramatically over the course of a hundred years due to technology and social change."
• "The social meaning of art has always been a dynamic part of art. The masterpieces have always been a symbol of stature, class, culture and education. The subjects of paintings have their own social meaning."
• "The typical female nude painting of traditional oil painting period seems modest compared to what we encounter today, but it is also similar to many photographs today."
•  "The nude paintings were specifically for men to view as pleasure images. Men could look at this beautiful nude and gain reassurance of their manhood. In return the female gets nothing, this painting seems as if it is about her, but it is not. In fact the artist typically does everything in his power to remove any power she may have, even sexually by removing all body hair. The painting is all about the owner/viewer, the man."
• "Of course Berger explains there is always an exception to the rules and there were masters who created a very unique painting where it was all about the woman and the loving position of the artist. This was a rarity and these pieces are very revered today for that reason."
• "Berger classifies the women in nude paintings as objects, since that is how they are seen by the artist and the viewer, but objects in paintings also benefited the viewer/owner."
• "Artist started using metaphysical symbols such as realistic skulls which represented death. These symbols rarely fit into the static materialism way of painting. The illusionism and symbols is what made oil painting stand out from other forms of visual art, and why it was so popular."
• "The reality in paintings was supposed to benefit the owner or the sitter in making other people believe the painting depicts owner/sitter’s worth."
• "Rarely was an object painting just because, there was always a self serving purpose behind it."
• "Publicity takes this idea of materialism and advertising one’s things from traditional oil painting and applies it to modern day advertising. Instead of showing the things that the viewer has, publicity shows what they need in order to be happy. "
• "The concept of envy and glamour is introduced; these make people happy by having something others don’t."
• "Berger paints a grim picture of the effects of traditional oil painting and publicity on the lives of people. It is too often used to promote materialism and individual prosperity and envy. The subjects in oil painting and advertisements are just tools for the constant need to possess certain objects."