Saint Stephen's Parish Church is the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Philippines'

Pro-Cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostoli ...

of the

Episcopal Church in the Philippines The Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP; tl, Simbahang Episkopal sa Pilipinas; Ilocano: ''Simabaan nga Episkopal iti Filipinas'') is a province of the Anglican Communion comprising the country of the Philippines. It was established by the ...

serving Chinese communities located in

Santa Cruz, Manila Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth, bordered by the districts of Tondo, Binondo, Quiapo, and Sampaloc, as well as the areas of Grace ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It was established in 1903.

History

Saint Stephen's was originally an Anglo-American congregation in 1902 before it became a parish in 1904. Fr. Clapp and his assistant Fr. Talbot served the Chinese communities in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. A Reformed Church Missionary, Mr. Hobart Studley, and his wife, Edith came to the

and held the first Amoy service to Amoy-speaking Chinese regardless of religious affiliation in 1903 in a rented room in San Fernando Street in

. They then moved to another quarter on 64 Calle Nueva (now A. Mabini Street) when growth of the members became inevitable. During this time, Mr. Studley was ordained as priest. Fr. Studley's and his assistant, Mr. Ben Ga Pay who later became deacon, took on their mission work among the Chinese from the Methodist Church. In 1911, they bought a lot along Reina Regente Street and built a rectory and two-storey building intended for worship services, classrooms and quarters for the staff. Rev. Hsi Jen Wei took charge of the church in 1939 until it became a full-blown parish in just two years under his leadership. He became the first rector of the church. In 1941, the rectory and the building, where the worship service was held, were bombed during the Japanese occupation in the

. After the war, part of Calle Magdalena (now G. Masangkay Street), where the old St. Luke's Hospital and St. Luke's Pro-Cathedral was situated, were turned over to the parish in 1947 as part of the church-rebuilding project. In 1963, a new church building with a seating capacity of 1,000 was constructed. The church was designed by Arch. Manuel Go Sr. of Manuel S. Go Architects (currently known as GGG Partners), a renowned architect known for his signature

Brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

style. An activity building and rectory were constructed in 1975 and named as H.J. Wei Building in honor of the first rector and John Pan Rectory, the second rector, respectively.

Gallery

File:Reverend Ben Ga Pay.jpg, Rev. Ben Ga Pay File:St Stephen's Church for the Chinese, Manila (1923).jpg, Saint Stephen's Church in Manila (1923) File:Saint Stephen's School (High School entrance).jpg, Entrance to the Parish File:Tower of Saint Stephen's Pro-Cathedral.jpg, Tower of Saint Stephen's Pro-Cathedral File:Saint Stephen's Pro-Cathedral altar.jpg, Altar File:Dedication Tablet of the Saint Stephen's Pro-Cathedral.jpg, Dedication Tablet

References

External links

St. Stephen's Parish website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen's Parish, Manila Churches in Manila Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz, Manila Anglican church buildings in Asia

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links