Morong Church

St. Jerome Parish Church
St. Jerome Parish Church
Morong Church
	File:Morong rizal church.JPG
Location	Morong, Rizal
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Architecture
Groundbreaking	1615
Completed	1620

St. Jerome Parish Church (also known as Morong Church) is a Roman Catholic church located in Morong, Rizal.

History

The town of Morong traces its origins to the pioneering work of the Franciscans Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa. Both were responsible for starting most of the lake town mission in 1578. Fr. Plasencia was well known for his mastery of Tagalog and is credited with compiling a dictionary of the vernacular and writing a draft of a catechism which is later used for composing the Doctrina Christiana (1593), the first book printed in the Philippines.

It was not until 1586, that Morong had a friar permanently assigned to attend to the people. The church, dedicated to St. Jerome, stood on the opposite bank of the river where the church stands presently. But in 1612 a conflagration consumed the town and with it the church. The townsite was transferred to its present position in 1617. A new church was completed in 1620. The church had remained substantially unchanged until 1850-53, when Fr. Maximo Rico commissioned Bartolome Palatino, a native of Paete, to renovate the facade and build a bell tower. In 1962, the church interior was renovated and facade coated with Portland cement. During the renovation, the dimensions of the windows along the nave were increased and other openings added to the wall adjacent to the convento. The convento is presently a school, although a room on the ground floor adjacent to the church has been set aside for a Blessed Sacrament room.

Architecture

The Morong facade and bell tower is easily the most striking of all church facades along Laguna. Frequently photographed and described as baroque, the facade/bell tower is more properly described as neo-baroque because the baroque period ended in the Philippines before 1780. The central portion of the facade surges outward and the catenated balustrade above give the whole a dynamic felling. Various decorative elements, some Mexican in origin, give the facade a richness characteristic of Baroque. Four angels, representing the cardinal virtues, stand at the corners of the bell tower. Fr. Felix Huerta, writing in 1852, states that the facade had finials shaped as jars and shells used for illuminating it.

It is said that it was built by Chinese craftsmen as evidence: two Chinese lion sculptures ( a boy and a girl lion ) at the entrance to the steep driveway. Unfortunately one lion, said to be the girl lion was stolen early year 2000- 2005. Local folklore said that the female lion has a hidden treasure inside it. While the other lion; the Male lion, is safe guarded at the St. Jerome school vicinity.

The stone and mortar church which has a three-story facade, and an octagonal bell tower whose cross is illuminated at night and can be seen from the surrounding countryside. The bell tower of the church is used by local fisher man in the nearby towns as a light house when fishing at night and during the storm. Its Frontispiece and the belfry were renovated by Bartolome Palatino of Paete, between 1850-1853.

Although the church interior was damaged by war, a few elements are worth noting, namely, the crocodile motif carved on the supporting brackets of the choir loft; the bas relief of the Baptism of Jesus in the baptistery, and the image of Saint Jerome on a side altar.

An added attraction in the church of Morong Rizal is the first class relic of the town's patron saint Saint Jerome; (Patron of scholars of the bible, Saint who translated the bible, feast day : September 30). The first class relic (a part of the saint's body) was given to the parish year 2005, through the effort of then parish priest Rev. Fr.Lawrence "Larry" Paz, when they had their first pilgrimage tour to holy land and Vatican.

The relic is publicly exposed every Saturday during the anticipated mass, guarded by the knights of Saint Jerome's. While the kissing of the relic is done every last Saturday of the month. After 2 years, another relic was given, in 2007 to the parish again as a gift from the main chaplain of the church of St. Jeromes in Rome, this time bigger. This relic is now buried on top of the table of the main altar which is being kissed by the priest every time there is a mass.

Locals

It was within this cultural landmark that a local theater group initially took residence and began to nurture the several local artists who continue to share their talents and expertise in theater, television, media and education. Founded in 1998 by Fr. Felipe Pedraja and the local church choir KISAP, the Dulaang San Geronimo (DSG) is an organization committed to artistic excellence and a people’s culture that fosters both personal fulfillment and social transformation in the province of Rizal. The architectural marvel of the church influenced the diversity of performances that they produced, prompting the artists to explore possibilities that the unique architecture had to offer.

Order of the Franciscan Missionaries were first assigned in the church of Morong. As a proof, the Franciscan coat or arms is seen on the main facade of the bell tower, the hands of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi Next were Columban Missionaries.

Gallery

Bell Tower Facade
Church Entrance
Church Interior
Church Front

External links