IGLESIA FILIPINA INDEPENDIENTE
Diocese of La Union Ilocos Sur and Abra (LUISA)
***********************************************
THE EVOLUTION OF THE DIOCESE OF LA UNION ILOCOS SUR AND ABRA (LUISA)
The Diocese of LUISA is composed of three (3) provinces with twenty (20) parishes/missions:
LA UNION
*Caba
*San Gabriel (under ECP)
*San Juan (under the faction)
*Bacnotan
ILOCOS SUR
*Sevilla, Sta. C
ruz
*Suyo
*Salcedo
*Tamurong, Candon
*San Esteban
*Narvacan
*Sto. Domingo
*Cabugao
*Sinait
ABRA
*Pidigan
*Lagangilang
*Dolores
*San Juan
*La Paz
The diocese evolved from the combine-split-combine pattern of composition and to further explain here is the historical background of this diocese:
LA UNION
Among the first proposed dioceses in the IFI is the Diocese of La Union. The foremost Padre Mariano Gaerlan was nominated as the first Bishop of La Union. Padre Gaerlan, who accepted the nomination, was among the signatories in the early documents of the church. But for unknown reasons, the old and sickly Padre Gaerlan withdrew from his Bishopric and allegedly returned to the Roman Church. He was one of the many Filipino priests who were severely tortured by the despotic Spanish friars in the Vigan Seminary in order to implicate several prominent Filipinos to the Philippine Revolution. Since the departure of Padre Gaerlan, the infant mission of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in La Union suffered a devastating setback. It was only in 1910’s that the Filipino Church was resuscitated and gradually gained foothold in some towns most particularly in Caba and later at Bacnotan, San Gabriel and San Juan, respectively. In 1910, the people of Caba renounced their faith in the Roman Church when the Romanista priest in Aringay refused to celebrate holy mass during the August 30 town fiesta in honor of Santa Rosa for their failure to pay the arancel in the amount of P30.00. In response to the humiliation, the townspeople, through the initiative of the local leaders during the Philippine Revolution led by Don Isabelo Maglaya, decided to erect a chapel within his parcel of land in the town and invited an IFI priest from Ilocos Sur to serve their spiritual needs. During the town fiesta celebration in 1911, two Romanista priests arrived but they were driven away and humiliated by the people, thus they unceremoniously went away. Since then, Caba became a bastion of the IFI in La Union. As years passed by, La Union was annexed to the Diocese of Ilocos Sur under Bishop Candido Gironella; then to the Diocese of Abra and La Union under Bishop Ramon Farolan; then to the Diocese of La Union, Montañosa and Nueva Vizcaya under Bishop Gregorio Gaerlan; then to the Diocese of Eastern Pangasinan and La Union under Bishop Martin del Prado; then to the Diocese of Western Pangasinan, La Union and Ilocos Sur, and lastly, to the Diocese of Western Pangasinan and La Union under Bishop Gregorio Gaerlan. ILOCOS SUR
The whole province was constituted in 1902 as the Diocese of Ilocos Sur with Bishop Candido Gironella as the first Bishop. Among the prominent initiator of the organization of our church in the province were Don Lino Abaya of Candon and Don Estanislao Reyes and Don Mena Crisologo of Vigan, who later became Congressman and Governor. The adherence to our church in many towns was reinforced with the mass affiliation of the members of the Sagrada Familia. The pioneer parishes in Ilocos Sur that positively responded to the call for the Filipinization of the Catholic Church were Vigan, Narvacan; Sinait; Cabugao; Sevilla; Santa Cruz; Salcedo; Santo Domingo; and the town of Candon that served also as the Diocesan Seat of Bishop Gironella. The pioneer parishes in Ilocos Sur were Reb. Padres Jacinto Martinez, Eufemio Roces y Viloria, Edvergisto Salvatierra, Fernando M. Abaya, Pedro de la Vega, Rufino Dumlao, Temoteo Castro y Eugenio, Ambrosio Mina and Benigno de Lara. After the demise of the old but patriotic Bishop Gironella, Ilocos Sur was made part of the Diocese of Ilocos Norte under Bishop Servando Castro; then to the Diocese of Ilocos and Abra, also under Bishop Castro and then, in 1947, under Bishop Juan P. For some time, too, Ilocos Sur was annexed to the Diocese of Western Pangasinan, La Union and Ilocos Sur under Bishop Gaerlan; and then Diocese of Ambos Ilocos under Bishop Fernando Valbuena. ABRA
At the inception of the Filipino Church in 1902, the whole province of Abra was constituted as the Diocese of Abra. Moved patriotically by the burning nationalist aspirations of the time, the whole populace went over with the newly established Iglesia Filipina Independiente. The only Filipino priest in Abra – Rev. Fr. Ramon Farolan of Bangued – also joined the new church. He was nominated and eventually accepted as the first Bishop of the new Diocese. In concurrent capacity, Bishop Farolan was also appointed as the Delegado Apostolico del Obispo Maximo en el Valle Cagayan. The prominent and patriotic laymen in their respective locality initiated the organization of our church were revolutionary Col. Blas Villamor, Col. Juan Villamor, Don Escolastico Borbon, Don Juan Valera, the Bringas Family, Seares Family and several others. In Dolores, the first adherents and founders were Don Rosalio Eduarte, Don Elias Balauro, Don Mariano Zapata, Don Nicomedes Guzman, Don Ambrosio Zapata, Don Pedro Balmaceda, Don Pedro Zapata, Don Antero Barbero , Don Pablo Turqueza, Don Ponciano Buenafe, Don Antonio Tubadeza, Don Mariano and Don Gregorio Taligdan, Don Estanislao Blanco, Don Vicente Tabaniag, Don Adriano Talledo, Don Fructuso Asencio, Don Leodegario Peralta, Don Dionisio Tordil and several others. The pioneer parishes in Abra were in the old towns of Bangued, Dolores, La Paz, Lagangilang, Pidigan, and San Juan (formerly a barrio of Dolores).The early and pioneer priests were Reb. Padres Benigno de Lara, Teodorico E. Pascual, Alipio Blanco y Velarde, Sinforoso Bonoan, Evaristo Clemente, Manuel Apostol and Honorato de Lara. In 1927, Bishop Alejandro Remollino y Ordoña succeeded to the Bishopric following the death of Msgr. Farolan. Since 1935 and until 1956, the Diocese of Abra was made part of the Diocese of Ambos Ilocos and Abra when Bishop Remollino was assigned in Cavite.
**************************************************
The present composition of the Diocese is the pooling of provinces that used to be independent Dioceses during the early period of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. After the passing of glorious years, these former dioceses were gathered as one diocese since 1956 and then known as the Dioces of La Union Ilocos Sur and Abra. Its first Diocesan Bishop was Msgr. Manuel Apostol. Following Bishop Apostol as Diocesan Bishops were: Bishop Gregorio Jose; Bishop Onofre Edrozo; Bishop Moises Ma. Ganaden, (1974-1977); Bishop Arturo Guirnalda, (1977-1981); Bishop Roberto Flores, (1982-1990); Bishop Edilberto Bautista, (1991-1993 as Bishop in Charge); Bishop Ignacio Bose, (1994-1995; Bishop Ernesto Tadly, (1996-2001); Bishop Tomas Millamena (2002-2005); Bishop Ephraim Fajutagana - OIC (2005-2007) ; Bishop Warlito Baldomero – OIC (2007-2008); and Bishop Emiliano Domingo – OIC (2008-2010); Bishop Vermillion Tagalog (2010-2019); Bishop Jed Manzano (2019-2020). At present, the Diocese of La Union Ilocos Sur and Abra is under the oversight of the Obispo Maximo Rhee M. Timbang.
***********************************************
The Diocese of La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Abra comprises these parishes with their corresponding parish priest and address in every parish:
1. Province of La Union
Parish: Saint John the Baptist Parish
Address: Caba, La Union
Parish: Saint Michael and All Archangels Parish
Address: Bacnotan, La Union
Parish: Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish
Address: San Gabriel, La Union
2. Province of Ilocos Sur
Parish: Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
Address: Sevilla, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Mission Parish of Immaculate Concepcion
Address: Poblacion, Suyo, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Saint Isidore the Farmer Parish
Address: Babayoan, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Immaculate Concepcion Parish
Address: Tamurong 1st, Candon City, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Saint Joseph Parish (Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Address: Poblacion Sur, Salcedo, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Saint Stephen Cathedral
Address: San Rafael, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Parish
Address: Narvacan, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Saint Dominic Parish
Address: Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur
Parish: Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish
Address: Quezon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur
Parish: The Holy Cross Parish
Address: Sinait, Ilocos Sur
Mission: Saints Peter and Paul Mission
Address: San Pedro, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur
Mission: Saint Isidore the Farmer Mission
Address: Daligan, Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur
3. Province of Abra
Parish: Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
Address: Dolores, Abra
Parish: Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish
Address: La Paz, Abra
Parish: Saint Isidore the Farmer Parish
Address: Lagangilang, Abra
Parish: Saint Isidore the Farmer Parish
Address: Badas-Lam-ag, San Juan, Abra
Mission Parish: Immaculate Concepcion Mission
Address: Pidigan, Abra
Diocese of La Union Ilocos Sur and Abra (LUISA)
Diocesan Bishop: The Most Rev. Rhee M. Timbang
Cathedral of Saint Stephen
San Rafael, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur
***********************************************
Source:
Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Our Heritage Our Journey Our Legacy, 2002. Cabaya, Mc Greggy C., "Ministry of the Altar Servers in the Diocese of LUISA" B.Th. Thesis, (ACTS:2017)
