ALL ABOUT JAMESEPP: MY SAN MIGUEL BULACAN TRIP: SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL PARISH CHURCH

San Miguel Arcangel Parish Church is beautiful Parish located in the province of San Miguel Bulacan, Philippines. This is my very first time to visit this historical church with the Lakad Pamana Friends. This travel trip makes me so excited because I am able to learn new things about the history of this church.

The Church is build in the 19th-century, and located along De Leon St., Brgy. Poblacion, San Miguel, Bulacan, Philippines. Saint Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of this parish, and jurisdiction by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos.

Inside the Church:

The Church facade are paired by pilasters, it was beautiful, and wonderful. It also curved by the rectangular belfry with a bulbous dome.

Jesus have a nice body

Exterior of the Church:

I like the exterior brick style walling of the church and the one thing that amazed me are the niches around the church wall.

The old parish convent

Dr. Maximo Viola and wife Juana Roura De Viola

Photo credit to lolokoguapo.wordpress.com

Maximo Sison Viola is a good friend of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, Maximo is a writer, revolutionary leader and a great doctor of this province.

History of the Church:

According to the articles that I read about the church, San Miguel was establihed as town under the province of Pamapanga. It was founded before 1607 as a visita of Candaba and was said to be declared an independent parish in the year of 1725. But regarding to the research and some records tell that the San Miguel Parish Church was an extension to Gapan in the year 1726 as the visita and same recorded as annexed of Macabebe.

October 31, 1607:

A council meeting was held regarding the annexation of visitas assigned to certain towns, San Miguel de Mayumo had to be returned to its matrix, Candaba. From this it can be deduced that the town of San Miguel had existed as a visita long before 1607 and secondly, originally belonged to the Province of Pampanga.

Year 1637:

The onset of mission under the province of Pampanga.

Year 1725:

It was made an independent parish because it was too far from matrix where the priest resided.

Year 1735:

The council fathers allowed the provincial to appoint a prior-vicar.

Year 1726:

Aggregated to Gapan, Nueva Ecija as a visita but the Estado of 1612 does not mention it.

Year 1732:

It only had 707 souls.

Year 1760:

Still being part the Province of Pampanga had 2, 261 souls.

Year 1763:

Originally part of Candaba Pampanga, founded by Miguel Pineda, the first Captain Municipal of the place, as another town of Pampanga.

Year 1775-1874:

No Parish Priest was regularly assigned yet in San Miguel.

May 17, 1848:

A separation where new boundaries were set approved by decree of the Superior Gobierno.

Year 1848-1866:

Augustinian Friar Juan Ma. Tombo initialized construction of the church.

Year 1869:

Augustinian Friar Francisco Arriola and Eugenio Ortiz continued its construction.The Cementerio Paroquial (Parish Cemetery) was done under Fr. Arriola and the massive convent was made by Fathers Juan Ma. Tombo, Eugenio Ortiz, and Francisco Arriola. Father Arriola and Tombo discovered Sibul water springs and built a stone rest house nearby for visitors. Fr. Juan Tombo also directed the construction of the 24-kilometer road linking San Miguel with Gapan.

Year 1872:

A document issued that San Miguel “being created as independent, from Macabebe”

Consequently, it was in this same year that San Miguel, from a mere visita of Candaba, was established into a full-pledged parish under the guidance of the Augustinian Friars.

Year 1870-1879:

With the amount of P 18, 350.00 under the Augustinian Friar, the Very Reverend Father Francisco Arriola, finally completed the construction.

Year 1882:

An “Expediente” from the Archdiocese of Manila was sent to the Augustinian provincial, making it an independent parish.

Year 1896:

Its population swelled to 15, 537.

Year 1937:

Under Italian artist Alberoni, the ceiling of the nave and the dome was painted.

During the World War 2 the dome was destroy and still it undergo for restoration

Year 1941:

The entire roof collapsed during the Japanese bombing of the San Miguel Bridge

Year 1990:

The population reached 91, 124.

December 3, 2003:

After a number of restorations, the Solemn Dedication of the Church officiated by the Most Reverend Jose F. Oliveros D.D., Apostolic Administrator, Diocese of Malolos, under the pontificate of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, took place on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier.

List of contributor:
This are the list of persons who contribute a lot for the establishment and beautification of the church before.