Silay's Original Christmas Village

Before the Christmas lights on ceremony and the Christmas Village and Angels display participated by the different barangays and schools, there was the first and original Christmas display of Lola Josefit Lacson who was the best friend of my grand-aunt, Lola Siday and the grandmother of the city mayor now, Mayor Jose "Oti" Montelibano.  This original Christmas village was displayed in the Lacson ancestral home fronting the plaza every year beginning the 3rd week of December. It was a replica of the town of Bethlehem and showed Mary and Joseph as they traveled to the town, up to the birth of Jesus.  It is the story of the nativity in miniature. After Lola Josefit died in the 80's the tradition stopped and I think the area was made into a restaurant, (The Food Basket) but this display was resumed in the mid 90's. My son was about 4 or 5, when it was put up again and you can imagine my excitement upon seeing it...I felt like I found a lost friend! I was so happy that my son could experience this.  And so, today the tradition continues, and children and adults alike come to view this display with much awe and enjoyment.

all photos by Romeo Miguel Ledesma

 

 

This Christmas display has brought much happiness to many children of Silay.   As one of those children, I can still remember the feeling of anticipation while waiting for the display to be opened to the public.  Somehow even after all this time, people never get tired of looking at it...there is always some variation or design every year, although as a small child I thought it was huge (grin). I don't know about the others but I know it brings peace to my heart every time I see it. Maybe because it tells me that no matter what happens or changes there are to my beloved city, this is something that will always be there. The antique figurines are probably between 50-70 years old now and they are marvelously preserved.  I pray the family will continue the tradition for many years to come because while there will always be Christmas activities, events and presentations sponsored by the city...it can never replace this Nativity village display. It was and always will be part of Christmas memories in Silay.

The Church in Silay: San Diego Pro-Cathedral

In December 25, 1994, Most Reverend Camilo D. Gregorio, DD, then Bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod, declared San Diego Parish Church as a pro-cathedral.  What is the difference between a cathedral and a pro-cathedral? According to Wikipedia, the church of a diocesan bishop is a cathedral like the San Sebastian Church while a parish church temporarily serving as the cathedral of a diocese is known as a "pro-cathedral". Why then of all churches in the diocese was the Church of San Diego chosen?  This church is the second biggest in the Diocese of Bacolod, next to the San Sebastian Cathedral.   This is the reason why San Diego Church was declared as a pro-cathedral...to function as a cathedral in case something happens to the San Sebastian Cathedral. Of course, we pray that would never happen, although a fire did damage the entire second floor of the Palacio Episcopal (Bishop's Palace) in 1985. Thinking about this now, perhaps this incident prompted the declaration for the San Diego Church?

Ruins of the Spanish Colonial Church in Silay made of coral/limestones

The first church in Silay was a temporary structure made of bamboo poles, amakan (bamboo slats), nipa (a local palm) and cogon grass. Eventually, a more permanent structure was built, made of coral stone but this too fell into ruin by fire. It's ruins is found at the back of the present church.  A bigger church made of bricks and cement was built perpendicular to the old church but this remained unfinished and unfurnished, lacking seats and pews.  As the community grew, there began a clamor for a better place of worship and one Silay resident, Don Jose del Rosario Ledesma and his family offered to shoulder the expenses to build a new church.  The designer picked was an Italian architect, Lucio Bernasconi who made a design based on Romanesque/Renaissance influence. The high arch of the facade is Romanesque, but the twin bell towers and the dome is Renaissance.  Building of the church began in 1925 and before it was completed, contributions from the parishioners were accepted so that it would become everyone's church and not just funded by the Ledesma family (although by this time it was 75% completed). The new San Diego Parish Church was completed and inaugurated in 1927.  It's distinctive dome with it's big cross lighted at night could be seen from the sea and serves as a beacon to seafarers.  The original clock in one of the towers (donated in 1938 by the Montelibano family), the bells and the church's original iron fence and gates are still in existence to this day. The clock was repaired in 2005 and the fence repainted in the same year too.  The statues of the 12 apostles placed on the pillars of the fence were added features in the mid '90s.  Pedestrian entrances were also added at the left and right front gates aside from the ones in the front middle gate.

  

photo credit: Christian Sangoyo of LakadPilipinas

Prayer Room and Grotto

The ruins of the old Church have also been put to good use.  Ever since I can remember the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes with an area for saying mass on her feast day and an elevated area at it's left side (which could have been part of the old church) has always been there. We used to play in this area. Perhaps this was built in the early 60's?  And the prayer room?  This was built on the elevated area sometime in the 1990's and I believe the Silay Parish is one of the first, if not the first who built one among all the other churches in the diocese.  Here the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from 6 AM to 6 PM daily.

In spite of only 2 regular priests assigned to minister to our big parish, we are able to hold twice daily masses and 7 Sunday masses in the pro-cathedral...quiet a feat, I must say. 

Daily Masses Mon-Sat: 6:00 AM/ 5:00 PM
Sunday Masses: 5:00, 6:00, 8:00, 9:30 AM
                           4:00, 5:15, 6:30 PM

Silay's Patron Saint: St. Didacus of Alcala And His Rightful Place In The Altar

The Patron Saint of Silay is San Diego de Alcala (St. Didacus in English) but not much was known about him.  I for one grew up not knowing who San Diego was, except perhaps that he was a friar wearing a brown habit by looking at his huge statue right there in the main altar.  That was how I always remembered him...so it was a small shock to see him relegated to the pulpit at the left side of the church when I came home in 1980 (in his place was a statue of the Risen Christ).  I still wonder to this day how they managed to put poor San Diego inside it.

photo by Antonio Abong

The next parish priest took pity on our patron saint and decided to place him back on an altar niche...the right side altar this time. The tall statue can barely fit though. The picture below is blurry, but you can clearly see that it is still the Risen Christ in the main altar...

Then in 2005, after many consultations and finally putting it to vote, San Diego was back to his rightful place and that is in the main altar.  Of course, there were some dissenting opinions especially in the light of Vatican II...but the San Diego Church was built before Vatican II and the head of the commission of liturgy ruled that the statues or icons of the patron saint in pre-Vatican II churches should be placed in the main altar.

Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jedwin_apo_ni_san_pedro/4660214269/in/photostream

And the Risen Christ?  Church authorities placed the statue in the the church mortuary which I think is appropriate enough...after all, death brings about eternal life.

But who is San Diego or St. Didacus?  San Diego de Alcala became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis at a very young age and eventually took his solemn vows as a lay brother of the Franciscan Order. It was only in recent years that the parish first began a massive information campaign on San Diego. Researches were done and a play was written about the life of this relatively unknown saint and was shown during the fiesta in 2005.  Prayer stampitas were also given out and people were encouraged to attend the novena masses. All that effort paid off because today the Feast of San Diego is a week long celebration actively participated not only by church volunteers but by the community as well.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Almighty and eternal God, who in Thy wonderful condescension hast chosen the weak of this world top confound the strong, mercifully grant to our lowliness, that through the pious intercession of Thy holy confessor St. Didacus, we may deserve to be raised to eternal glory in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen