In response to the request of the residents of Santolan, Maysilo, and Panghulo on having a parish, the Archbishop of Manila, His Eminence Jaime L. Thus on November 21, 1988, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish was canonically erected, with Rev. The small chapel at the foot of the Malinta Bridge served as the temporary site of the parish. On September 4, 1989, the parish priest, together with the n
ewly formed parish pastoral council wrote a letter to Cardinal Sin, requesting a portion of the rice fields of the Heart of Mary Villa to be a parish site. His Eminence, along with the consent of the good RGS sisters, formally granted the utilization of the 6, 000 square meter land of the Heart of Mary Villa for the parish. On June 12, 1992, Rev. Donardo S. Bermejo was appointed to be the second parish priest of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. Bermejo leadership, the parish focused on the creation of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC), along with the empowerment of the parish’s formation programs such as the Bible Study, Mariology classes, Christology, and spiritual seminars. These measures converted the community from being passive members into strong willed parishioners, thus opening up other programs to address their needs. Along the way, the parish ventured on other forms of aid, for an instance, medical missions, and the establishment of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Lending Cooperative. Along the way, Fr. Bermejo transferred the daily Sunday masses to a makeshift chapel, which is the current parish site. The relocation of the church led to the awareness of the community regarding the parochial activities and the construction of the new building. The move also made the number of Sunday masses rise from one to ten, all of which are jam–packed. Three months after the construction, the parish was blessed by Cardinal Sin on December 17, 1995. Then, on July 20, 1996, two more structures in the parish were blessed –– the Perpetual Adoration Chapel, and the Medical–Dental clinic, this time, by Most Rev. Teodoro Bacani. The Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Knights of Columbus Chamber, Immaculate Heart of Mary Resurrection Ossuary, and the Cardinal Sin’s Hall, among others, are the existing evidences that in the unity of a parish, much can be attained.