JUAN NICHOLAS C.

VENTURA
GRADE 5 - MASINOP

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. ANDREW’S CATHEDRAL

Spanish Period & the Order of Saint Augustine

The story of the Parish of St. Andrew started when Augustinian missionaries set foot on a fishing
village near the sea, more than four hundred years ago.
The missionaries' purpose was to convert the natives to Roman Catholicism.[2] This would also help
facilitate the conquest of islands for the King of Spain. The town was called "Palanyag", the contraction
for the word "Paglalayag" which means sailing. At that time, Palanyag consisted of several nipa huts
grouped as a residential settlement known as "barangays."
In line with the Papal instruction of May 1493, known as the Inter Caetera, which enjoined the Spanish
rulers to spread the gospel to the inhabitants that they would come to rule, it was tasked to the
Augustinians to spread Roman Catholism in the lands that they conquered. One town was Palanyag
(modern day Parañaque). The pioneer missionary in Parañaque was Rev. Fr. Juan de Orto, O.S.A.
Although based in Manila, he started to administer to the spiritual needs of the village folks in 1575.
In 1580 Rev. Fr. Diego de Espinal, O.S.A. was appointed superior in the convent of Parañaque. He
established a mission house, with its spiritual jurisdiction reaching up to Kawit, Cavite. He was assisted
by Fray Francisco Campos, O.S.A. The Conference of Chiefs of the Religious Order, held on May 11,
1580, accepted Palanyag as an independent town, and it is in this date which the foundation day of
the Parish of St. Andrew the Apostle was officially known. In the same year also, St. Andrew the
Apostle, being the patron of fishermen was officially declared the patron and defender of the said
church.
Rev. Fr. Elviro Jorde Perez, O.S.A. being the Augustinian historian in the 19th century, wrote that as
early as 1575, the Provincial Chapter subjected the populace of Palanyag to the patronage of St.
Andrew, and later on to the advocacy of the Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso(Our Lady of the Good
Event), an image of the blessed Virgin Mary enthroned in the said Parish on August 10, 1625.[3]
Since there was no income for parish maintenance at that time, royal support, as ordered by the
Spanish King, Philip II, was given to each religious order who worked on the conversion of the natives.
Parañaque, in 1589, was given a periodic sustenance which consisted of 200 pesos and 200 bushels
of rice for the two religious assigned at St. Andrew. Later on, financial assistance was given to buy
wine and oil to keep the Blessed Sacrament lighted.
During the 16th and 17th century, the Parish of St. Andrew was made up of only a few homes, found
mostly along the Parañaque River and Manila Bay in the present barrios of Don Galo, La Huerta and
San Dionisio. Later, Tambo, Santo Niño and Baclaran developed. Barrios Don Galo, La Huerta and
San Dionisio built bisitas, or satellite chapels with facades built facing the St. Andrew Church. The San
Nicolas de Tolentino Chapel, the one located at Barrio La Huerta, still has the inscription 1776, the
year the said chapel was erected.
In 1662, when the Chinese pirate Koxinga threatened to invade Manila, Governor General Sabiniano
Manrique de Lara ordered the demolition of all stone churches and convents located
outside Intramuros, Manila. The stones were used to beef up the defenses of Manila as well as to
prevent its use by the enemy as defenses. More than a dozen churches and convents, which included
the only one in Parañaque were torn down. The original convent of St. Andrew was demolished.
Rev. Fr. Eusebio Polo, O.S.A. was the parish priest of St. Andrew in 1759, during the British invasion
of Manila. He was then succeeded by Rev. Fr. Manuel de Sto. Tomas Garcia, O.S.A. in 1762. Both
priests were deported to Goa, India, with 12 other fellow Augustinians.

Renovation
On January 25, 2009 Rev. Msgr. Manuel G. Gabriel, the parish priest and rector of the Cathedral
parish launched the major renovation of the cathedral with the blessing of Most Rev. Jesse E.
Mercado, DD. The renovation has changed the Major altar placing the Crucifix on its center, adding
two side altars (Altar of Saints and Altar of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso), replaced the glass
windows with stained glass featuring some of the important events in the Life of our Lord Jesus, placed
new marble stone on the floor and replaced the roof and ceiling of the cathedral painting the interior
walls, replaced the doors, placed air conditioning units and has restored the image of Nuestra Señora
del Buen Suceso and St. Andrew the Apostle.
The newly renovated Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew was blessed on May 22, 2010 in line with the
celebration of the 430th Dedication of St. Andrew's Parish.

Dedication of being the Parish of St. Andrew

The Cathedral and Parañaqueños celebrated the 430th Anniversary of St. Andrew Parish as a Parish
on May 11, 2010 with its theme: "Dakilang Pagdiriwang ng ika-430 taon ng Ebanghelisasyon at
Biyaya...Tayo na, Pumalaot at Mamalakaya...". It was a one-week celebration starting May 11, 2010
until the blessing of the Cathedral on May 22, 2010. The program included Parañaque traditions such
as Grand Sunduan of all Sub-Parishes (San Dionisio, Sta. Monica, San Nicolas and San Antonio),
Sayaw ng Pagbati Festival, Komedya ng San Dionisio, Food and Crafts Exhibit, Music Festival and
the Parañaque/Palanyag Movie.
 PARISH PRIEST OF ST. ANDREW’S CATHEDRAL

SCHEDULE OF MASSES
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
05:30AM – 06:15AM – 06:15AM – 06:15AM – 06:15AM- 06:15AM- 06:15AM-
06:30AM 07:00AM 07:00AM 7:00AM 07:00AM 07:00AM 07:00AM
Tagalog Tagalog Tagalog Tagalog Tagalog Tagalog Tagalog
07:00AM –
08:00AM
Tagalog
08:30AM-
09:30AM
Tagalog
10:00AM-
11:00AM
English
03:30PM-
04:30PM
Tagalog
05:00PM-
06:00PM
Tagalog
06:30PM-
07:30PM
English
08:00PM-
09:00PM
Tagalog
 PATRON SAINT OF ST. ANDREW’S CATHEDRAL
Canonical Coronation of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso

Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso

September 8, 2000 was the date when the image of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso was canonically
crowned as the Patroness of the City of Parañaque.[5] Last September 8, 2010, the official replica made
by Tom Joven was blessed including the book of sacrifice, the petition box and the thanksgiving box
by Msgr. Manuel Gabriel during the Solemn High Mass. The Diocese of Parañaque approved a decree
signed by the chancellor and the Bishop of Parañaque that the Cofradia de Nuestra Señora del Buen
Suceso was tasked to promote, propagate and preserve the devotion and shall be the custodian of
the original image. The Recamaderas de la Virgen who are exclusively women whose members come
from each sub-parishes (Sta. Monica, San Nicolas de Tolentino, San Dionisio and San Antonio de
Padua), are primarily responsible for vesting the image together with the Commission on Patrimony
that conducts the periodic inspection of the structural integrity and supervise the vesting of the image
and its jewelries. They also instructed Mr. Ryan de Leon to be the Camarero or Steward of our Lady
of the Good Event. A manual "The Care of the Image of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso: Policies
and Procedures" was made kept by the Cathedral Office for the primary care of the original image of
the Virgin Mary.