27/06/2023
MESSAGE
Catarman, also known as Catadman, was one of the earliest sites of evangelization by the Augustinian Recollect missionaries in 1623, a year after their arrival in the northeastern region of Mindanao. Some six hundred souls were eventually baptized and the first Christian settlement was placed under the patronage of San Roque.
Historian Emmanuel Luis Romanillos describes some key events involving the Recollect parish priests serving in Catarman over the next four centuries. In 1764, Fr. Francisco de Santa Teodora was trying to bring a rebel leader to talk to local authorities. However, upon arrival at the meeting, the gobernadorcillo of Mambajao immediately hurled his spear which was deflected by the chieftain's shield and instead pierced the chest of the priest. This was the only homicide of a priest in the whole of Camiguin.
Fr. Pedro de Santa Barbara during his parish assignment in 1782-91 defended his parishioners from the punitive raids of the Moros. He organized two boatloads of Camiguenos to attack the unwary Moros in their hideout in Balingoan, inflicting so many casualties that Catarman was free of further raids for many years.
Fr. Juan Martin del Rosario took ten years in 1806-16 to build a bigger church and kumbento, to replace the structures razed to the ground by Moro raiding parties. This Recollect also constructed the churches of Mambajao and Sagay. In 1843-58, Fr. Luis Gomez de San Jose administered the parish. He was remembered for his generosity towards the impoverished parishioners. He was also renowned for his military skills in defeating the Moro assailants and rescuing kidnapped parishioners.
However, the most unforgettable event took place in February and May of 1871. The inhabitants of old Catarman witnessed the eruption of the nearby volcano destroying the imposing church and kumbento erected by Fr. Juan Martin five decades earlier. What remains today are the ruins of the old Gui-ob church and a sunken cemetery.
There was untold suffering from the eruption among the casualties in the visita of Lobo. Only about 70 people died, but many more evacuated to Sagay or crossed over to the coastal pueblo of Balingasag. In the aftermath of the eruption, the parish priest, Fr. Antonio Preciado, with the parishioners decided to transfer the site of the parish further south to its present location.
As we celebrate the 400-year journey of the Christian community in Catarman, let us then not forget the earlier sacrifices and contributions of the Recollect missionary priests alongside their parishioners. Catarman Parish today has literally risen from the ruins of the past, with its narrative of courage in the face of adversity and ever-resurgent hope in a brighter future for all.
+ Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ
Archbishop-Emeritus of Cagayan de Oro
