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Peñaplata: A church in flames

It used to be one of the beautiful places of worship in Samal Island, but on September 14, 1964, the Peñaplata Church, a Catholic edifice, was razed to the ground by a dawn fire that lasted only two hours. The mystery surrounding the blaze remains unsolved.

The incident got frontpage treatment in Davao Sentinel, a diocesan publication, on September 19, 1964: “Fire Razes Peñaplata Church; Total Loss Placed at P150,000.”

Constructed in 1957 and finished in 1961, the church, which was under the Immaculate Conception Parish, was completed by Fr. Henri Babin, PME, who assumed the role of parish priest of Peñaplata in 1959. He was the fourth priest, preceded by Fr. Paul Layahe, PME (1952-55), Fr. Florian Roch, PME (1955-58), and Fr. Louise C. Sabourin, PME (1958-59).
Based on his narrative, which the paper reported:

“… he was awakened at two o’clock at dawn by the brightness and heat in his room in the convent, which was located a few meters from the church.

“Believing it was already daytime, he peeped through the window only to find that the church was already in flames. He woke up his assistant, Fr. Richard Vanasse, PME, and called for the altar boys to ring the bell, but it was too late to save the Blessed Sacrament. Not even a candle could be saved.

“In a few minutes, people gathered around the burning church, but knowing that the church was beyond help, they focused their efforts on the convent.”

Among those who first arrived to help was Peñaplata Mayor Simplicio Obenza, who ordered his men to save the convent. Fortunately, there was a well at the back of the convent that became the source of water used to cool off the walls. By 5:30 AM, nothing was left of the church.

To celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the priests, with their vestments consumed by the fire, had to say Mass in civilian attire. A classroom in Assumption Academy of Peñaplata was temporarily appropriated for the occasion while candles were bought from a nearby store.

Though many tears were shed, the Catholics of Samal were resolute in rebuilding a new church, possibly a bigger one. As a consolation, the local chief executive promised the people his whole-hearted cooperation until the new church materialized. On the side, Catholic Action leaders initiated efforts six days later, leading to the creation of the Committee for the Reconstruction of the Samal Catholic Church and the election of its officers.

The rise of a new church, which survives to this day, paved the way toward normalcy.

Fifty-seven years later, the Church of the Immaculate Conception Parish, the island’s mother parish, was designated as one of the 500 Jubilee Churches to commemorate Christianity’s 500th year of introduction in the country. The selection was a surprise, given that the Pope rarely chooses a church instead of a cathedral as a Jubilee Church.

On April 7, 2021, the Jubilee Church’s Holy Door was opened, with Vicar Forane Father Pepe Retorca presiding. The event took place a day after Rev. Jerick Barriga Asdang, a Peñaplata parishioner, was ordained deacon, thus ending a 55-year drought in priestly vocations. Previously, Fr. Rommel Banilad, the parish priest at the time, also celebrated his 28th sacerdotal anniversary.

Meanwhile, the closure of the Holy Door—one among seven—on April 17, 2022, was a historic first for the ICP-Peñaplata, as it occurred on Easter Sunday, with Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao, presiding. It was also the first time that a prelate presided over an Easter Sunday Eucharistic celebration in Peñaplata. The Holy Door was also the first to be closed within the Octave of Easter by the archbishop.(19)

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