Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines. It was erected in the 19th century by the Augustinians and houses the colonial-period image of Señor Santo Niño de Tacloban whose namesake is El Capitan.
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History
The old name of the city was Kankabatok, which means “belonging to Kabatok”. Many places in the archipelago were called similarly in the olden times and even up to the present, as they bear the name of the head or prominent person of the settlement.
Its current name originates from taklub, an indigenous contraption made of bamboo that was used to catch crabs and shrimps. It was referred to by the natives as tarakluban, a place where such traps were put, and over time it became known as Tacloban.
The town was part of Basey, Samar. It replaced Carigara as the capital of the province of Leyte in 1774, but lost its status in 1824. It was made into the seat of the government again in 1830 for it had an ideal harbor and it was well-protected. Tacloban became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 760, otherwise known as “An Act Creating the City of Tacloban”, on June 20, 1952.
The Jesuits arrived in Leyte in the 16th century, and they were forced to abandon their mission upon their expulsion in 1768. The Augustinians took over the eastern side of Leyte while the clergy of the Diocese of Cebu over the western side.
The church in Tacloban was erected by the Augustinian friars in 1770 and the Augustinians were taken over by the Franciscans. Under the guidance of Fr. Aniceto Corral, the first church was built.
The image of the Sto. Niño was lost and found on June 30, 1889. Upon the return of the image to Tacloban, cholera epidemic that ravaged the town ended and the devotion to the Holy Child intensified.
The church was canonically erected and elevated into an archdiocesan shrine by Archbishop John Du of the Archdiocese of Palo on November 1, 2021. The church is the home of the devotion to Sto. Niño de Tacloban, considered by devotees as “symbol of faith and healing.”
Architecture
The shrine can be accessed through arch portals.
On its facade are the images of the Holy Family (the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph with the image of Sto. Niño on stained glass of central rose window in between them) flanked by the four evangelists—St. Matthew and St. Mark in the gospel side, St. Luke and St. John in the other.
The facade is flanked by twin belfries and decorated by oculi, balustrade, and pilasters whose topmost ends are pedestals of angels blowing trumpets. Additionally, the pediment gives way to a tall church tower pierced with rectilinear and arch apertures.
Celebration
The feast day of Sto. Niño is June 30 and the town celebrates the Pintados Festival.
Services
Shrine Day or Pilgrim Day is every third Saturday of the month. Holy Rosary is at 8:00 AM, a talk is at 10:00 AM, and prayer and anointing of the sick.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño in Tacloban City, Leyte from November 18, 2024 to November 24, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Tacloban City.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:00-5:45 PM
- 5:45-6:45 PM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:00-5:45 PM
- 5:45-6:45 PM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:00-5:45 PM
- 5:45-6:45 PM
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:00-5:45 PM
- 5:45-6:45 PM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:00-5:45 PM
- 5:45-6:45 PM
Saturday
- 5:30 AM
- 6:15 AM
- 12:00 NN
- 12:00 NN (Third Sunday - Votive Mass / Prayer and Anointing of the Sick)
- 4:00-5:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM
- 9:30-10:30 AM
- 11:00-12:00 NN
- 1:00-2:00 PM
- 2:30-3:30 PM
- 4:00-5:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
- 7:00-8:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño in Tacloban City, Leyte |
| Address | P. Zamora St, between Juan Luna St & Real St., Tacloban City, Leyte 6500 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | +63 946 848 3928 |
| santoninodetacloban@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Status | Archdiocesan shrine, Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| District | Eastern District |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Tacloban |
| Patron | Sto. Niño |
Nearby Churches
- Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Tigbao, Tacloban City, Leyte
- Caritas Internationalis Mission Station in Cabalawan, Tacloban City, Leyte
- Our Lady of Fatima Church in Tacloban City, Leyte
- Our Lady of Guadalupe in Abucay, Tacloban City, Leyte
- Our Lady of Hope Mission Station in New Cawayan, Tacloban City, Leyte
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Marasbaras, Tacloban City, Leyte
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Tacloban City, Leyte
- Sacred Heart Church in Tacloban City, Leyte
- San Jose Church in San Jose, Tacloban City, Leyte
- San Roque Church in Manlurip, Tacloban City, Leyte
- St. Arnold Janssen Church in Tacloban City, Leyte
- St. Josemaria Escriva Mission Station in Apitong, Tacloban City, Leyte
- St. Jude Thaddeus Church in PHHC Housing, Tacloban City, Leyte
- St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Sagkahan, Tacloban City, Leyte
- Virgen de la Candelaria Church in Bagacay, Tacloban City, Leyte
References
- John Eric Mendoza. Sto. Niño Church in Tacloban now an archdiocesan shrine. Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 5, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2024
- Ferdinand Patinio. Tacloban church gets archdiocesan shrine status. Philippine News Agency. October 14, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2024
- Sto. Niño Parish – Tacloban City. Archdiocese of Palo. Retrieved April 17, 2024
- Tacloban City. Philippines Tacloban Mission. Retrieved April 17, 2024
- Republic Act No. 760. Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library. Retrieved April 17, 2024