St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church

Monuments and Significant Structures

 

St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church

 

Churches and other places of worship are only some of the different sites where Bayambangueños collectively show their faith. Perhaps the most regarded among these churches is the Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish Church, the history of which was extensively detailed in the book entitled Parokya nen San Vicente Ferrer: Subol na Pananisia authored by former Pangasinan State University-Bayambang college dean, Dr. Clarita D.G. Jimenez, together with several collaborators. Saint Vincent Ferrer has been venerated in Bayambang for more than 400 years, and perhaps the grandest display of the people’s love for the patron saint of builders is the opening of the Saint Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park and the inauguration of what the Guinness World Records has named as the world’s tallest bamboo sculpture (supported) in 2019.

 

In addition to the parish, there are also chapels, popularly known as ermita, in the different barangays. These ermitas provided a closer alternative to those living in the barrios, especially to senior citizens who have difficulty traveling to the town proper, in showing their faith collectively.

 

Based on the outcome of the Culture Mapping Project, it is evident that Catholicism is the dominant religion in Bayambang. However, aside from Catholic churches, there are also churches and places of worship for several other religions including Islam, Iglesia ni Cristo, Church of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and more. This proves how diverse Bayambangueños are in terms of faith, but come together as one community.

 

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Lording over the public plaza and its environs is the 400-year-old church established by the Dominican missionaries in 1619. It has withstood several calamities through the years, both natural and man-made, and remains intact and majestic.

 

There are stories from old folks that recount how St. Vincent Ferrer performed what they believed as miracles, to protect the church from imminent dangers. One instance showing the saint’s miraculous power is reportedly when three bombs were dropped by the Japanese Army targeting the church during World War II. Two of the bombs missed the church and fell on the side. The other bomb hit the inside of the church but it only bore a hole in the middle and did not damage the church. Other testimonies on how St. Vincent responded to petitioners range from being cured of their maladies to seeing family problems solved.

 

A divine providence for Bayambang is the presence of the relic of St. Vincent Ferrer. It is the fervent wish of devotees of the Saint and churchgoers, especially those coming from afar, to be able to touch the relic of the miraculous saint.

 

The relic, which was formerly installed at the Museo de San Vicente, is presently installed at the foot of the statue of the saint enshrined at the main altar or retablo. It is enclosed in iron grills for security purposes.

 

(The latter part was lifted from Dr. Clarita Jimenez’s book on the parish church, Subol na Pananisia.)