Saint Joseph Church (Las Piñas)
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph Parish Church is the Roman Catholic church
of the parish
of Las Piñas, just south of the city of Manila
in the Philippines
. The church is renowned as the house of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
, a pipe organ
made mostly with bamboo
pipes. To the right of the church is an old Spanish convent converted into a gift shop and the entrance for observing the organ up close. Also in the chuch complex is St. Joseph's Academy, a primary
and secondary
education school established in 1914.
The parish
falls under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque. The parish priest
of the Las Piñas church is Rev. Msgr. Mario Josefino Martinez, PC, JCD since July 1, 2011.
to establish a new church. Father Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, a native of Spain
, traveled from Mabalacat
, Pampanga
province
and arrived on the town on the second day of Christmas 1795. Soon after, he started building the church made from adobe (volcanic) stones in the Earthquake Baroque
architectural style.
The new parish priest was a very gifted man. He was a natural scientist, chemist
, architect
, community leader
, as well as organist
and organ builder. He also built the organs for the Manila Cathedral
and San Nicolas de Tolentino Church, the main Augustinian church in the old walled city of Manila
. In 1816, when the stone church was almost complete, he started building the organ made of bamboo
and completed the instrument in 1824.
Father Cera served as the parish priest of Las Piñas till May 15, 1832 when he could no longer perform his duties due to severe illness. He passed away a month after on June 24, 1832 in Manila.
to Cavite
destroyed several buildings and churches. The St.Joseph Church and the bamboo organ severely suffered damages from the quakes
. In 1882, a strong typhoon blew the roof off of the church, which also further damaged the organ. The church was reconstructed in 1888.
missionaries Fr. Jose van Runenkelen and Fr. Victor Zaiel of Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM) established St. Joseph's School next to the church to foster literacy in the parish community. The school, which started as a grade school, eventually included secondary education and was renamed as St. Joseph Academy.
Francisco Mañosa
with Architect Ludwig Alvarez back to its 19th century look. The event coincided with the return of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
on March 13, 1975 after three years of rehabilitation in Bonn
, Germany
, reviving the organ back to its original state. On May 9, 1975, the bamboo organ made its inaugural concert at the newly-renovated church and surrounding buildings.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Las Piñas, just south of the city of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The church is renowned as the house of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ in St. Joseph Parish Church, the parish church of Las Piñas City in the Philippines, is a nineteenth-century pipe organ made almost entirely from bamboo. The organ is declared a National Cultural Treasure of the country....
, a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
made mostly with bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
pipes. To the right of the church is an old Spanish convent converted into a gift shop and the entrance for observing the organ up close. Also in the chuch complex is St. Joseph's Academy, a primary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
and secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
education school established in 1914.
The parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
falls under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque. The parish priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
of the Las Piñas church is Rev. Msgr. Mario Josefino Martinez, PC, JCD since July 1, 2011.
Founding of the parish
On November 5, 1795, the Archbishop of Manila assigned Las Piñas, then a small town of farmers and fishermen, to the Augustinian RecollectsAugustinian Recollects
-History:The Order of Augustinian Recollects or simply the Augustinian Recollects are a Roman Catholic mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. They are a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follow the same Rule of St...
to establish a new church. Father Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, a native of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, traveled from Mabalacat
Mabalacat, Pampanga
Mabalacat is a 1st class municipality in the northern part of the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 203,307 people in 35,134 households....
, Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
province
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
and arrived on the town on the second day of Christmas 1795. Soon after, he started building the church made from adobe (volcanic) stones in the Earthquake Baroque
Earthquake Baroque
Earthquake Baroque is a style of Baroque architecture found in places like the Philippines and Guatemala, which suffered destructive earthquakes during the 17th century and 18th century, where large public buildings, such as churches were rebuilt in a Baroque style...
architectural style.
The new parish priest was a very gifted man. He was a natural scientist, chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, community leader
Community leader
A Community Leader is a designation, often by secondary sources , for a person who is perceived to represent a community. A simple way to understand community leadership is to see it as leadership in, for and by the community...
, as well as organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and organ builder. He also built the organs for the Manila Cathedral
Manila Cathedral
Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is also known as Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or Basilica Minore dela Inmaculada Concepcion or Basilica Minore dela Nuestra Señora de Inmaculada Concepcion A Roman Catholic church having a higher status of "Minor Basilica" with...
and San Nicolas de Tolentino Church, the main Augustinian church in the old walled city of Manila
Intramuros
Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...
. In 1816, when the stone church was almost complete, he started building the organ made of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and completed the instrument in 1824.
Father Cera served as the parish priest of Las Piñas till May 15, 1832 when he could no longer perform his duties due to severe illness. He passed away a month after on June 24, 1832 in Manila.
Calamities
Between July 18-20, 1880, three strong earthquakes affected the region from Nueva EcijaNueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
to Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
destroyed several buildings and churches. The St.Joseph Church and the bamboo organ severely suffered damages from the quakes
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
. In 1882, a strong typhoon blew the roof off of the church, which also further damaged the organ. The church was reconstructed in 1888.
St. Joseph's Academy
In 1914, BelgianBelgians
Belgians are people originating from the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe.-Etymology:Belgians are a relatively "new" people...
missionaries Fr. Jose van Runenkelen and Fr. Victor Zaiel of Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM) established St. Joseph's School next to the church to foster literacy in the parish community. The school, which started as a grade school, eventually included secondary education and was renamed as St. Joseph Academy.
Renovation
Between 1971 and 1975, with the help from the community and neighboring towns, the church was restored by a National Artists of the Philippines for architectureArchitecture of the Philippines
The architecture of the Philippines is a reflection of the history and heritage of the country. The most prominent historic constructions in the archipelago are from the Spanish, Japanese, Malay, Hindu, Chinese, and American cultures....
Francisco Mañosa
Francisco Manosa
Francisco Mañosa is a Filipino architect and national artist noted for his Filipino inspired architectural designs. He designed The Coconut Palace.Manosa, on May, 2008 built his own Ayala alabang village Bahay Kubo mansion...
with Architect Ludwig Alvarez back to its 19th century look. The event coincided with the return of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ in St. Joseph Parish Church, the parish church of Las Piñas City in the Philippines, is a nineteenth-century pipe organ made almost entirely from bamboo. The organ is declared a National Cultural Treasure of the country....
on March 13, 1975 after three years of rehabilitation in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, reviving the organ back to its original state. On May 9, 1975, the bamboo organ made its inaugural concert at the newly-renovated church and surrounding buildings.
Pastors
Below is the list of parish priests who served St. Joseph Church since the 1950s.| Name | Years of Pastorship | Present Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Rev. Fr. Camilo Feys, CICM † | 1958 to 1969 | |
| Rev. Fr. Mark Lesage, CICM | 1969 to 1999 | Retired |
| Rev. Msgr. Allen Aganon, PC Chaplain of His Holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges, such as regards ecclesiastical dress.... , MA Master of Arts (postgraduate) A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees... |
1999 to 2004 | Pastoral Director for Theologians, San Carlos Seminary San Carlos Seminary The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. It was established in the year 1702, by decree of King Philip V of Spain... , Makati City |
| Rev. Msgr. Albert Venus, PC Chaplain of His Holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges, such as regards ecclesiastical dress.... |
2004 to 2011 | |
| Rev. Msgr. Mario Josefino Martinez, PC Chaplain of His Holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges, such as regards ecclesiastical dress.... , JCD Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D... |
2011–present |