San Roque Parish Cathedral

The San Roque Parish Cathedral is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Caloocan, and is located near the intersection of 10th Avenue and A. Mabini Street, in Caloocan City, Philippines. The church is beside La Consolacion College, and in the far front of the church is the newly renovated City Hall of Caloocan.

History

Like any other growth, San Roque Parish had a humble beginning. Today, San Roque – the parish and the church is considered as one of the most promising communities in this archdiocese of Manila.

Early beginnings

This parish started from a small "visita", a chapel initiated by Manuel Vaquero, assistant parish priest of Tondo, who with the cooperation of the people, was able to build a place of worship in one of the districts of Caloocan called "Libis Aromahan (Sitio de Espinas)" in 1765. The able priest gave this community two statues: San Roque and the Nuestra Señora dela Nieva. According to sources,Fact|date=December 2007 these two statues were brought by the Augustinian Recollects from Talavera, Spain.

Formal creation of the parish

The parish was erected on April 8, 1815, by the Archbishop of Manila Antonio de Zulaivar, with Manuel de San Miguel as the first parish priest. Its formal erection as a parish also marked the transfer of the church to its present site. This site was called paltok, an elevated district in the town of Caloocan. A bigger church started its construction in 1819 under Vicente de San Francisco Xavier, and was finished in 1847 under Cipriano Garcia.

In 1889, San Roque ceased to be considered as a parish due to the lack of requirements posted by the arzobispado. The church could not give the proper "“tributos y numero de las almas”" prescribed by the archbishopric of Manila sede vacante. Archbishop Jose Arangueren revived San Roque into a parish during his election as the new archbishop of Manila in 1892.

Revolutions and wars

During the advent of revolution against the Spanish throne and the preceding war of the Filipinos against the Americans, San Roque Church served as a living witness to the valor of the Filipinos. Thus, on August 30, 1896, the churchyard of San Roque was used as a meeting place of all the Katipuneros coming from the west coast of Manila to join the rest of the "katipuneros" as they marched down Balintawak for their cry of freedom from the Spaniards. Then they proceeded to San Juan del Monte to attack the Santolan water reservoir, which they captured.

In 1899, the church was partly destroyed by the Americans during the Filipino-American Revolution under the leadership of General Antonio Luna who sought refuge at the church. After the capture of the place, the Americans used the whole area as a field hospital.In 1900, General Arthur MacArthur invaded Caloocan and the church of San Roque was made "caballeriza" by Col. Frederick Funston Regiment.

After the havoc done by the war, the church was again constructed by the "Confradia de Sagrado Corazon de Jesus" in 1914 under the administration of the then parish priest, Victor Raymundo.

20th century - decay and rebuilding

From this time on, till the present, nothing much was said about the events in this church. Some efforts of different priests are worth mentioning. Eusebio Carreon (1934) put black and white "baldosa" along the aisles; Pedro Abad (1947) renovated the "fachada," and Pedro Vicedo (1962) made additional wings on both sides of the church.

The church became old and weak through the years. In 1977, Augurio Juta planned a new church, but due to a sudden change of assignment, he was not able to finish the project and left it simply a skeleton in December 1979.

It was only through the courage and determination of the present parish priest, Boanerges A. Lechuga, despite all kinds of trials, that his dream of having a new, big, and magnificent church came into a reality. On November 30, 1981, Jaime Cardinal Sin of Manila blessed and consecrated the new church.

21st century - a new diocese

During the year 2000, a Jubilee year for the whole Catholic Church, San Roque Church was declared as one of the Jubilee Churches in the Archdiocese of Manila by Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila.

Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter "“Quoniam Quaelibet,”" dated June 28, 2003, created the New Diocese of Caloocan, consisting of Caloocan City-South, Malabon City and the City of Navotas, and elevated this parish church into the level and dignity of a cathedral. The Pope appointed Deogracias S. Iñiguez, Bishop of Iba, Zambales, as the first Bishop of the New Diocese of Caloocan; he took possession of the diocese on August 22, 2003. Boanerges A. Lechuga, P.C. was also assigned as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Caloocan.