The story of Saint Joseph the Patriarch Parish is the story of the people of Brgy. The first settlers arrived on a summer day of April 1968 when army trucks brought them to a dense woodland in the highlands of San Pedro, Laguna. The government’s Land Authority relocated these residents from Fort Bonifacio and Sta. Ana (Manila) under the orders of the then President Ferdinand E. It was a day dimmed
with uncertainty and anxiety. The meek and humble beginnings of the new residents of Langgam did not deter them from living-out their Catholic faith. As the evangelist John wrote, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). Soon after arriving, the relocatee's leader, Francisco Benito, initiated the building of a chapel made of wood and cogon grass. This chapel witnessed the first Holy Mass celebrated by the community on April 15, 1968 with Rev. Since this first Mass was held on Easter Sunday, the community decided to name the chapel in honour of the Resurrected Lord and to celebrate its annual feast every Easter Sunday. The grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies produces much fruit. Instead of wallowing in the sad experience of migrating in an uncertain place, the newly formed community basked on the grace of their Easter experience. More people migrated to Brgy. Through the spirit of bayanihan, improvements were made to the chapel structure and to the community organisation itself. Under the direction of the Parish Priest of San Pedro Apostol, different Catholic groups emerged such as Cursillo in Christianity, Catholic Women’s League, and Catholic Charismatic Movement. The growth of the community paved the way for the organization of Langgam’s first chapel council whose members include Francisco Benito (Brgy. Chair), Pedro Alvarez, Leonila Alvarez, Nena Andes, Vering Gonzales, Norma Maminta, Beatriz Osora and Mrs. Cruz and Mrs. Esejo. The 1980’s saw the increase of people and development of new communities in the town of San Pedro. The communities in the highlands of San Pedro — which came to be known as the Upper Villages — were not exempted from this growth. The Roman Catholic Bishop of San Pablo had begun erecting new parishes from the San Pedro Apostol Parish to cater to the growing needs of the Catholic faithful. The community in Langgam had the potential of being declared a parish, considering that many of its members were actively serving the parish community. However, the absence of a titled land property and lack of sufficient land area for the construction of a bigger church and rectory blocked this potential from being realized. Instead, the Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish was erected on October 1987 and covered Brgy. Narra and the other Upper Villages of San Pedro, including Brgy. The creation of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish was a blessing for the Catholic community in Langgam. Its parish priests were instrumental in the direction and future of the proposed parish of Saint Joseph the Patriarch. In the late 1990’s, Rev. Juvenal Leonardo focussed on strengthening the community and spiritual lives of the people of Langgam. More activities were introduced to the faithful. These included the Parish Renewal Experience (PREX) and the formation of new catechists. The late 1990’s also saw the emergence of ministries new to the community, these were the Lingkod ng Dambana, Lectors and Commentators Ministry, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Worship Ministry. Leonardo consistently gave stress on the importance of celebrating as a community the feast day of the Resurrected Christ. In response, the people frequented the sacraments and actively participated in the novena Masses and processions. Candidates for baptism grew in number. The increase of Catholics in Brgy. Langgam and the foundation of a chapel in Sitio Rustan during the early 2000’s prompted the then Rev. Bobit Realista to tap one of his best catechists, Mrs. Julieta Ramos, to successfully spread the Word of God and the teaching of the Church to the the newly formed chapel community in the said sitio. To resolve the long-standing issue of land property, the chapel community of Langgam were able to secure the land title of its chapel’s lot and was named under the Roman Catholic Bishop of San Pablo. This was realized during the pastoral administration of Rev. Marlu Marasigan in the mid-2000’s. The Catholic community in Langgam witnessed not only the pastoral response to its growing needs. It also saw the increasing number of its members with the development of new subdivisions and villages within its civil territory: PEA II-A and PEA II-B, Southern Heights 1, Saint Joseph Villages 9 and 10, and Sitio Triangle. The development of Saint Joseph Ridgeview at the border of the Municipality of GMA also offers a potential area for caring of souls in the future since the said village is only accessible via Brgy. Personally witnessing the growing number of the faithful in Langgam, Most Rev. Leo M. Drona, SDB, D.D. encouraged the parish priest Rev. Danilo A. Fernandez and the lay leaders of Langgam to prepare the community for its eventual er****on as a parish. Although the question on land property has been settled in the mid-2000’s, there was still the problem of lack of land area for the church and rectory. Yet, through the efforts of Fr. Fernandez and the lay leaders of Langgam, the community inspired the owners of P.A. Alvarez Properties and Development Corporation — the developer of Saint Joseph Villages 9 & 10 — to donate a piece of land and to erect a church of modest size with a rectory for the community of Langgam. The then Bishop of San Pablo, Most Rev. Drona, welcomed this generous offer and wasted no time to proceed with his vision of a new parish for Langgam. Bishop Drona gave the task of preparing the soon-to-be-erected parish to Rev. Redentor Dichoso. The church of Saint Joseph the Patriarch, the name proposed for the soon-to-rise church building, began construction during the late 2012 and was completed May 2013. Since the arrival of Fr. Dichoso last January 2013, regular masses were held at the Resurrection Chapel until the daily and weekend Masses were held at the new church June of the same year. Unfortunately, Fr. Dichoso got ill. The new Bishop of San Pablo, Most Rev. Buenaventura M. Famadico, gave the task of continuing Fr. Dichoso’s work to his outgoing private secretary, Rev. David Reyes, Jr., who arrived in Langgam on September 15, 2013. Upon the efforts of Father David and the lay parishioners of Saint Joseph, the Bishop of San Pablo approved of the establishment of Langgam as an independent parish. On October 2, 2014, feast of the Guardian Angels, Most Rev. Famadico, D.D., Bishop of San Pablo, decreed the er****on of Langgam as Saint Joseph the Patriarch Parish and appointed Rev. David O. Reyes, Jr. as its first Parish Priest. Since Fr. Reyes’ arrival in Langgam on September 15, 2013, Fr. Reyes and the lay servant-leaders of Langgam continue the work of building up God’s people at the fringes of the Diocese of San Pablo for the salvation of souls. The current parish priest of St. Joseph the Patriarch is Rev. Noel Artillaga.
