Sagada is a pine-clad municipality in the Mountain Province. It is famous for its cool climate, underground caves, breathtaking rice terraces, and falls. The municipality covers around 8,600 hectares in land area and is situated at 5,000 feet above sea level.
Though a perfect travel destination, I believe Sagada still lacks one essential thing – a Catholic church. The Catholic mission of the Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe is still confined within the far-flung Barangay of Kilong, which is a 30-minute drive from the town center. The groundbreaking for a church actually began in 2009, but the building of the church was stalled due to lack of funds.
Now, Sagada will have its first Catholic church. The Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe is helping to create awareness and support for the worthy endeavor by having two of Sagada’s renowned choirs perform before different audiences.
On May 5, 2012, during the 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Masses, the Greenbelt Chapel community were regaled to a serenade by the Coro San Jacinto and Cagayan State University Ensemble under the baton of Fr. Ranhillo “Ranny” Aquino. The choirs performed two songs, one of which was “Ina,” in honor of Our Lady of Piat, whose image was at the Greenbelt Chapel that day.
To dramatize the Vicariate’s project, the 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. Masses were officiated by priests from the Sagada Catholic Mission, led by Fr. Pablo Lumiwan, Sagada Catholic Mission rector. Bishop Rodolfo F. Beltran, D.D., the bishop of Bontoc-Lagawe, was also on hand to lend support to the cause. The Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe covers 22 mission stations all over the Mountain Province and Ifugao. The Sagada Catholic Mission is one of these.
Fr. Jun Sescon, Greenbelt Chapel chaplain, made a brief pitch for the construction of the Sagada church at the end of the Mass.
At this time, the dominant churches in Sagada and the Mountain Province are of Protestant orientation, specifically Anglican and Episcopalian. This underscores the need for people to support the cause of the Sagada Catholic Mission and the Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe.
- by Mario Ampil
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Songs of Builders of Joy
God gave us many gifts, many abilities, insights and wisdom. I don’t believe these are simply meant as blessings for us to show how much He loves “us”; undoubtedly, He gave us all these to enable us to reach out and help the less privileged.
It is a beautiful thing what one choir group, namely the Coro San Jacinto and Cagayan State University Ensemble, has done for the people of Sagada. How, through their amazing talent, they are able to help build a church – hammering each nail with the notes they sing and bringing out the hands that will raise God’s temple. Indeed, through them we are reminded of how God provides in many distinct and, often, indirect ways. It was not so long ago when I spoke with a person so dear to me about Sagada – of how wonderful it would be to visit there, unaware that there wasn’t even a church in the area. I believed then that having a church there would be one of the acmes of the many peaks of Sagada and that through that church, the people will be able to breathe not only the fresh mountain air but also the living breathe that is our God.
It was so touching that people with such talent would offer themselves for this cause in a world where talent fees soar and where most, if not all, things have a price tag. Charity that touches hearts and reaches far across many miles often requires a bit of toil and hardship, but the many joys and smiles it brings melts away the aching muscles and fatigue. All for the glory of God!
- by Paul Alvarez