The parish priests of the Diocese of Cebu (1880s)

Part 10   

The Diocese of Cebu in the 1700s had jurisdiction over all the islands and provinces of the Visayas and Mindanao, even reaching to the Marianas Islands.

The parishes were administered by missionaries coming from the orders of the Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits, Recollects, and the secular clergy.

The list is taken from the book of Fr. Felipe Redondo in 1886:

Fr. Santiago Alvarez, Recollect, Inabanga, Bohol.

Created in 1724 under the patronage of the apostle St. Peter. The oldest entry in its baptismal books is dated 1756. Originally administered by the Jesuit Fathers, but passed on to the Recollect Fathers in 1768.

Fr. Benito Tutor, Recollect, Iponan, Misamis

Erected as a parish on October 18, 1851 under the patronage of San Guillermo (St. William). Its mother parishes were Cagayan and Iligan. The residence of the parish priest was in Opol, a barrio of Iponan.

Fr. Ambrosio Iturriaga, Recollect, Jagna, Bohol.

Created in 1631 under the patronage of St. Michael Archangel.  The original church and convent were razed to the ground by a fire in 1808. It faces the island of Camiguin, at that time it takes some four to five hours crossing from Mambajao.

Fr. Mariano Casanova, Franciscan, Jaro, Leyte.

Erected as a parish by diocesan decree on December 10, 1851 under the patronage of the apostle St. Matthew. It used to be a visita (chapel) of Barugo.

Fr. Nemesio Llorente, Recollect, Jasaan, Misamis.

Erected as a parish in 1830 under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. It separated from its mother parish, Cagayan. It was composed of the barrios of Bubuntungan, Rancheria Linabo, Sumilao, Villanueva, and San Martin.

Fr. Felix Cencerrado, Franciscan, Jiabong, Misamis.

Erected as a parish under the patronage of St. Pascual Bailon by diocesan order on September 1, 1882. It separated from its mother parish, Paranas.

Lucas Sanchez, Secular Clergy, Jilongos, Leyte.

It is now spelled as Hilongos. Created before 1737, its oldest entries in their Book of Deaths are dated August 2, 1574. It is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The footnote of the book says “In 1737, it was already enumerated among the ministries of the Society of Jesus; their rectory seems to have been built during the period, and must have been a rectorship. It seems that the church is of a much modern construction, but the tower as well as the church of Matalon were created when its parish priest was D. Leonardo Cels Diaz, a native of Cebu who died in 1883.” (To be continued)