Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish was officially and canonically established on January 27, 1957 with Father Clifford, SDB as the first parish priest and Father Pericle Bianchini, SDB (an Italian missionary) as his coadjutor.
Father Clifford paid the construction bills with money raised by the Cebu Boys Town through selling eggs. A “weekend movie” fundraiser also helped generate funds for the construction of the church.
In February 11, 1958 , in time for the Centenary Celebration of Our Lady of Lourdes, the wooden structure of the church was completed.
The parishioners of the small Punta Princesa community rejoiced with the rest of the Catholic World – marking the completion of the Parish as well as commemorating the Centennial Celebration.
In 1970, an 18 meter-high concrete parabolic shell of the church was erected. The current church now boasts an overall length of sixty meters and transepts of 22.3 meters.
The 6-foot stone tabernacle of the church is one of the most attractive religious structures in the metropolis. After exploring the winding Mananga River twenty seven times searching for a hard and towering rock for the tabernacle, Father Bosch discovered one weighing more than twelve tons in Bo. Taup. The door of the tabernacle is of solid bronze weighing twenty kilograms.
Hanging above the main altar is the crucifix with Christ’s body, which is slightly bigger than life-size. This was donated by the hometown workers of Father Bosch in Ciudadela , Spain in1972. Except for the arms, the body is made of Dutch pine tree by Casa Bochaca of Barcelona for P6,000.
In 1971, Architect Virgilio Asuncion redesigned the rear walls, façade, canopy grotto and the belfry. This was completed in close collaboration with Engr. Eli Hubahib, Engr. Capistrano Ramientos and Jesus Caracena.
The three bells, donated by the Spanish people and cast in Spain , are named Fatima, Maria Auxiliadora, and little Fatima, respectively.
In 1973, the stained glass windows were installed on the façade of the church. All these lovely multicolored stained glasses and the small circular panel at the back of the baptismal font were the artistic work of Casa Kraut in Manila .
Another exceptional highlight of the church is the baptismal font. It is made of a carved stone from a rock in Bo. Taup. This is located in front of the sacristy separated by a thick wall embroidered with gray stones.
The statue of the Blessed Mother was placed on a big white stone depicting the strength and purity of the Mother of God.
Governor Osmundo Rama provided the transportation in getting the stones from Mananga River in Sitio Taup to the church site. The statue of the Blessed Mother is made of marble by a local artist Fidel Araneta.
Above the sanctuary is the chandelier designed by Pio Bonilla. Each bulb in the chandelier represents a chapel in the parish. This became a permanent mark of the people’s faith and commitment to the church.
The stained glass of the fourteen Stations of the Cross portraying the passion of Christ and His death adorn the church walls. Architect Pio Bonilla donated paintings depicting exquisite representations of man’s redemption. The pews and kneelers located in the east and west transepts were originally bought by Father Clifford for the wooden church.
It took over 16 years to finish the present church of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Without the dedication of Father Bosch, the support of the Salesian community, and the collective efforts of the parishioners, the Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes would not be the magnificent church that it is today.
Credits to: http://fiscym.org/
Celebrating its 57th Annual Fiesta last February 11. I get the chance to attend the Pontifical Mass by Archbishop Jose Palma. The Mass is on 4pm, I arrived at 2:45pm so capturing some of the church interior was not an issue.
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Some of the Interiors inside of the church was still on the process of reconstructing due to the earthquake incident last October 15 in Bohol and Cebu and some parts of the Central Visayas. But nevertheless, in my own point of view the church is halfway there already.
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Like any church visit, it is not complete by not touching the image of the Patron and say a little prayer it may be a thanksgiving or a petition.
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It is one of the shrines in Cebu dedicated to Mary with the title Our Lady of Lourdes. It celebrates 3 daily masses in Cebuano at 530am, 630am, & 600pm. On Sundays it has 10 masses plus baptism which starts at 1000am. Confession is at 430pm to 700pm from Monday to Saturday. And on Sunday simultaneous with every Mass. The shrine is managed by the Salesians of Don Bosco.
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Contact Details:
Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes
Address: Francisco Llamas St, Punta Princessa Dakbayan sa Sugbu, Cebu City
Phone:(032) 261 5393
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