Christmas Offering at the Silay Public Plaza

Every year for the past 5 years, the Silay Public Plaza is turned into a mini museum showing Christmas-themed exhibits of the different barangays and public schools in the city.  This is the Silay City Christmas Village, which has won a national award from the Department of Tourism and Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines as Outstanding Festival – Cultural Category.  This year, the San Diego Pro-Cathedral Parish Council participated in the switch on ceremony last December 9, 2011. The pictures below are only some of the displays, which include 16 Christmas archs, 21 five-foot tall angels, life-size Belen characters, 40-foot tall Christmas tree. These will be displayed for the public until the New Year. For those who want a guided tour, please contact the City Tourism Office at the Jose C Locsin Cultural and Civic Center fronting the City Hall.

A replica of the steam locomotive 6 of HPCO

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