St. Francis of Asisi Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Escalante City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
Silay’s territory included the then villages of Tucgagauan (Saravia, present-day Enrique B. Magalona) and Nueva Sevilla (previously called Manlambus, present-day Escalante). Saravia and Escalante became independent towns by the order of Governor Manuel Crespo on November 28, 1856.
The seat of government was moved from Old Poblacion to Balintawak by virtue of Executive Order No. 301 issued by President Carlos P. Garcia on May 30, 1958. Afterwards, it became a component city pursuant to Republic Act No. 9014 signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 28, 2001 and ratified on March of the same year.
The church of Escalante became a parish on May 22, 1860. Fr. Cipriano Navarro, OAR, was the first parish priest and he served between 1860 and 1867. He also renamed Nueva Sevilla to Escalante, inspired by his Spanish hometown.
One popular, albeit tragic story was the murder of a Catholic priest during the American period. Augustinian Recollect Fr. Victor Baltanas de la Virgen del Rosario (born 1869) sailed from Spain to the Philippines in 1891 and was assigned in Pampanga, Manila, Palawan, and Negros Occidental.
Finally, he was the parish priest of Escalante beginning in October 1907. It was a fraught time that witnessed a growing schism between Catholicism and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, commonly known as Aglipayan. On May 15, 1909, Fr. Baltanas was killed by Aglipayan member Mauricio Gamao allegedly motivated by a conflict on church property and died from the mortal wounds the next day. He was laid to rest in San Carlos. His remains were exhumed in 1995 and was kept at Colegio de Santo Tomas-Recoleto and then transferred to Himlayang Pilipino in the 2000’s.
Building of the colonial-era church was initiated by Fr. Gregorio Aperte. It withstood natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, but it was deemed no longer safe for continued use. It is in ruins and considered a Registered Property/Historical Structure through Resolution No. 3 of the National Historical Institute issued on October 22, 1991.
The present-day stone church was built in the 1980s.
Architecture
A three-post bell tower has interspersed wall sections and rises in the gospel side. The church itself is a low-level structure, and its facade features geometric shapes and patterns (as seen in its muti-gable overhang and on the wall atop the windows.)
Celebration
The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi is October 4.
Services
The parish office is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 to 11:30 AM and from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Old Poblacion, Escalante City, Negros Occidental from December 2, 2024 to December 8, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Escalante City.
Monday
- No mass schedule found.
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- No mass schedule found.
Thursday
- No mass schedule found.
Friday
- No mass schedule found.
Saturday
- No mass schedule found.
Sunday
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 9:00-10:00 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Francis of Assisi Church in Old Poblacion, Escalante City, Negros Occidental |
| Address | Escalante City, Negros Occidental 6124 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (034) 724 8396 |
| saintfrancisparisholdpoblacion@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | May 22, 1860 |
| Age as parish | 164 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Diocese | Diocese of San Carlos |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Sagay (St. Joseph) |
| Patron | St. Francis of Asisi |
| Feast day | October 4 |
Nearby Churches
- Hiyang-Hiyang Mission Station in Alimatoc, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Balintawak, Escalante City, Negros Occidental
- Our Lady of Peace Church in Dian-ay, Escalante City, Negros Occidental
- St. James the Greater Church in Sagay City, Negros Occidental
- St. Joseph Church in Poblacion II, Sagay City, Negros Occidental
- St. Roch Church in Bato, Sagay City, Negros Occidental
- St. Vincent Ferrer Parish-Shrine in Vito, Sagay City, Negros Occidental
- Sts. Louis and Zelie Mission Station in Bulanon, Sagay City, Negros Occidental
- Triumph of the Cross Church in Rizal, Escalante City, Negros Occidental
References
- Vicariate. Diocese of San Carlos. Retrieved December 16, 2023
- Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. (December 31, 2020). Augustinian Recollect Legacy to the Church in Negros Island. Philippine Social Science Journal. Retrieved December 16, 2023
- Executive Order No. 301, s. 1958. Official Gazette. Retrieved Retrieved December 16, 2023
- Republic Act No. 9014. Official Gazette. Retrieved December 16, 2023February 20, 2023
- FR. VICTOR BALTANAS. Museo Mabalacat. November 10, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2023