Balanga Cathedral, formally known as Diocesan Shrine and Cathedral Parish of St. Joseph in Balanga,

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the ent ...

, is the seat of the Diocese of Balanga which comprises entire of the civil province of Bataan. Currently, Ernesto B. De Leon and Prudencio “Denz” B. Dumaguing, Jr. serve as the cathedral priests. On March 19, 2015, the cathedral was formally declared a diocesan shrine.

History

During the Japanese invasion the cathedral was used as an artillery emplacement to bombard Mt. Samat, where the Filipino-American troops made their last stand. It was later renovated by the first bishop of the Diocese, Celso Guevarra and made its patron saint,

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

Bishops

Interior and exterior

After the war Bishop Celso renovated the church. Its walls were white and a number of chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the largest before the altar. Behind the altar was a structure painted green with stripes of gold and a statue of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

in the left,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

on the right, and

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

holding the hand of Baby Jesus. Beside the altar, there were two statues,

Lorenzo Ruiz Lorenzo Ruiz ( fil, Lorenzo Ruiz ng Maynila; zh, link=no, 李樂倫; es, link=no, Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila; November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637), also called Saint Lorenzo of Manila, is a Filipino saint venerated in the Catholic Church. ...

in the left and Mary at the right. There was a group of bells lined together vertically by metal grilles, the usual bell design in almost all of the parishes in Bataan. There was a statue of Jesus of Nazareth near the main door, which was kept for rehabilitation, believed to be miraculous. People lined up and gave sampaguitas to its neck and cross, they would usually wipe its feet. Along the cathedral's aisle are the coat of arms of respective bishops of Balanga that were added during their installation dates, with the latest being the coat of arms of Bishop

Ruperto Santos Ruperto Cruz Santos, D.D. (born October 30, 1957), is a prelate of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Santos is the fourth bishop of Balanga since July 8, 2010, succeeding Socrates Villegas who became archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan on ...

which was added when he became bishop of the diocese on July 8, 2010. When Bishop Socrates Villegas became Bishop of Balanga on July 3, 2004, he saw that the decorations were in bad shape; he renovated the inside with a new design. When it was finished, the white walls were replaced by a wall of bricks, the structure behind the altar became marble white, the floors were higher and the chandeliers were replaced by ceiling lights. A few months before he became archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capi ...

on November 4, 2009, which ended his term as Bishop of Balanga, images featuring the ancestors of Jesus and image of Jesus Christ at the cathedral's dome were added. Outside the cathedral are the statues of saints with their names which were also added during Socrates Villegas' term as Bishop of Balanga.

Feast of the patron saint

The feast day of Saint Joseph is celebrated twice annually in the city of Balanga, on March 19 and the "pistang bayan" every April 28.

Image gallery

File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 14.JPG, 1940 Philippine Historical Committed Marker File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 06.JPG, Historical marker File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 12.JPG, Angels, Logo in the middle of the Center facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 08.JPG, Right facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 07.JPG, Facade of the Balanga Cathedral File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 06.JPG, Left facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 02.JPG, Center facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 05.JPG, Remote left facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 03.JPG, Left facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 04.JPG, Near left facade File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 03.JPG, Belfry File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 02.JPG, Rear facade of bell tower File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 01.JPG, Left facade of Cathedral File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 13.JPG, Right side of Cathedral File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 12.JPG, Frontage of right side entrance File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 05.JPG, Right half of main door File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 04.JPG, Left half File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 01.JPG, Schedule of Masses File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 12.JPG, The Cathedral/Bishop's

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

(

Ecclesiastical heraldry Ecclesiastical heraldry refers to the use of heraldry within Christianity for dioceses, organisations and Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. It is ...

) File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 11.JPG,

Cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 10.JPG,

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 09.JPG, Dome File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 07.JPG,

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine icon with an alleged Marian apparition. The icon is believed to have or ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 06.JPG, Choir loft File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 11.JPG,

Black Nazarene The Black Nazarene ( es, El Nazareno Negro, Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno; fil, Poóng Itím na Nazareno, Hesus Nazareno) is a life-sized image of a dark-skinned, kneeling Jesus Christ carrying the Cross enshrined in the Minor Basilica of the ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 09.JPG, Confessional File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 12.JPG,

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando ( lat, Archidioecesis Sancti Ferdinandi; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng San Fernando; es, Arquidiócesis de San Fernando; Kapampangan: ''Arkidiosesis ning San Fernando'') is the archdiocese of the Latin Chu ...

- 1st Bishop Celso Nogoy Guevarra, D.D.+, Church grave File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 02.JPG, Grave File:BalangaCathedraljf2907 05.JPG, Ceiling File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 07.JPG, Ceiling File:BalangaCathedraljf2894 10.JPG, Interior File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 11.JPG, Interior File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 10.JPG,

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 09.JPG,

Retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2939 08.JPG, Tabernacle in the altar File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 11.JPG,

Columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria) is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns, holding cremated remains of the deceased. The term can also mean the nesting boxes of pigeons. The term comes from the Latin "'' co ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 10.JPG, Statue inside File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 09.JPG, Individual storage of cinerary

urns An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 08.JPG, Facade of the columbarium File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 07.JPG, Grotto of

File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 05.JPG, Priests' Residence File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 04.JPG, St. Joseph Formation Center File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 02.JPG, Fr. Mariano Sarili Hall File:BalangaCathedraljf2878 01.JPG, Parish Offices

References

External links

CBCP Diocese of Balanga

Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga

Coordinates

CBCP">Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, CBCP
Website
GCatholic

{{Central Luzon attractions Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Philippines Balanga, Bataan Tourist attractions in Bataan Roman Catholic churches in Bataan Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga