Balanga Cathedral
Roman Catholic cathedral in Bataan, Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cathedral-Shrine of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary, commonly known as Balanga Cathedral, in Balanga, Bataan, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga which comprises entire of the civil province of Bataan, Philippines. Currently, Noel Niguid and Alwin Bobis serve as the cathedral priests. On March 19, 2015, the cathedral was formally declared a diocesan shrine, changing its status from cathedral-parish to cathedral-shrine.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2024) |
| Balanga Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| |
.jpg) Balanga Cathedral in 2023 | |
.svg)  Balanga Cathedral Location in Luzon .svg) Balanga Cathedral Location in the Philippines | |
| 14°40′45″N 120°32′25″E | |
| Location | Brgy. Poblacion, Balanga, Bataan |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Parish of St. Joseph (1793–November 8, 1975) Cathedral-Parish of St. Joseph (November 8, 1975–March 19, 2015) |
| Founded | 1793 |
| Dedication | Saint Joseph |
| Consecrated | March 17, 2005 |
| Past bishop(s) | see Bishops section |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Baroque |
| Administration | |
| Division | Vicariate of Our Lady of the Pillar |
| Province | San Fernando |
| Metropolis | San Fernando |
| Archdiocese | San Fernando |
| Diocese | Balanga |
| Parish | Saint Joseph |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Florentino G. Lavarias |
| Bishop(s) | Vacant |
| Rector | Noel Niguid |
| Assistant priest(s) | Alwin Bobis |
During the Japanese invasion, the cathedral was used as an artillery emplacement to bombard Mt. Samat, where the Filipino-American troops made their last stand. It was later renovated by the first bishop of the diocese, Celso Guevarra, who made its patron saint, Saint Joseph.
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The present church structure of Balanga is credited to Fray Benito Rivas OP, parish priest of Balanga from 1869 to 1876. From this remodeling, the good friar added transepts and a dome to the church, contributing to its handsome appearance. Archival photos also show that this construction update also gave its altar a magnificent two-tiered baldachin for a retablo similar to those found at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, something that is highly unusual, if not one-of-a-kind in the whole archipelago. Aside from his great contributions to the church construction, Fray Rivas is also recognized for his contributions to the livelihood of the people of Balanga.
The original cathedra was wider, and colored green and gold, with the bishop's chair at the center. When Bishop Socrates Villegas renovated the cathedral, the cathedra became narrower and now colored marble white and the chair has red with golden border. Before the cathedra was changed, the bishop's chair was movable became the priest's chair upon renovation. The golden border was present until it was removed when Bishop Ruperto Santos (appointed April 1, 2010) assumed office as the fourth bishop of Balanga on July 8, 2010. The chair's clothing retained its red color until it changed to its current orange with a cross at its backrest in 2015. During sede vacante without an appointed bishop and bishop-elect periods where the diocese already have a bishop but before assuming office when Bishop Honesto Ongtioco became Bishop of Cubao in Quezon City on August 28, 2003 until Santos assumed office on July 8, 2010 under the sede vacante diocesan adminstrators Antonio "Tony" S. Dumaual and Victor Ocampo, the bishop's seat is not covered and only the coat of arms of the previous bishop in office was removed. Since Ruperto Santos became Bishop of Antipolo covering the province of Rizal and Marikina in Metro Manila on July 22, 2023 and under the apostolic administration of Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga Florentino Lavarias, the bishop's chair is covered with white cloth due to the diocese's temporary governance is at the archbishop acting as the temporary head rather than to a local college of consultors including the locally-designated or appointed diocesan administrator. The coat of arms of a bishop currently in office is also removed if there is another person to be seated on a cathedra and not the Bishop of Balanga himself.
After Bishop Celso became Bishop of Balanga on November 8, 1975, he renovated the church. Its walls were white and a number of chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the largest before the altar. Behind the altar was a structure painted green with stripes of gold and a statue of Jesus in the left, Mary on the right, and Joseph holding the hand of Baby Jesus. Beside the altar, there were two statues, Lorenzo Ruiz in the left and Mary at the right. There was a group of bells lined together vertically by metal grilles, the usual bell design in almost all of the parishes in Bataan. There was a statue of Jesus of Nazareth near the main door, which was kept for rehabilitation, believed to be miraculous. People lined up and gave sampaguitas to its neck and cross; they would usually wipe its feet. From 1995 to 1996 during the tenure of Celso Guevarra, the cathedral's facade was changed where the bricks were added over the facade's white paint, the hole was moved higher, a cross was added on its top, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments outside the cathedral were removed.
Bishop Socrates Villegas saw that the decorations were in bad shape; therefore on October 2004 five months after Villegas was appointed as third Bishop of Balanga on May 3, 2004 and three months after he assumed office as bishop on July 3, 2004, he renovated the inside with a new design. The new design was made by Bezalel Construction, Inc. who was the contractor for the changes and improvements within the cathedral for 15 years until Villegas' successor Ruperto Santos in May 2019. When it was finished, the white walls were replaced by a wall of bricks, the structure behind the altar became marble white, the floors were higher, the lectern bearing the coat of arms of diocese of Balanga was replaced with the one with Holy Spirit, the chandeliers were replaced by ceiling lights, the alternating diamond and square pattern at the cathedral's arches were removed, the stations of the cross were changed from glass frames to their sculpture on wood version, and the floors become higher by adding the tiles, with the cathedral's aisle now have the coat of arms of respective bishops of Balanga with the latest is the coat of arms of Bishop Ruperto Santos which was added when he was installed or assumed office as fourth bishop of the diocese on July 8, 2010 three months after being appointed on April 1. In 2008, 15 life-size images of saints with their names were added outside the cathedral representing the patron saints from the 11 towns and 1 city of Bataan where the Diocese of Balanga has jurisdiction with and a few towns have multiple saints (with St. Gemma Galgani was later added as the 16th and latest statue four years later in 2012 during the tenure of Ruperto Santos). He also added a columbarium on the cathedral's garden and removed moss along its facade by putting a new paint into it. In 2009 months before Villegas became archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan on November 4 of that year, images featuring the ancestors of Jesus at the sides of a cathedral's dome and image of Jesus Christ at the dome itself were added.
During the 13 years and 14 days of Bishop Ruperto Santos in office from July 8, 2010 to July 22, 2023 that started three months after the start of his tenure as the diocese's fourth bishop overall on April 1, 2010 upon being appointed to the position, he improved the patio and exterior area of the cathedral, and numerous vendors were discouraged within its premises. In early 2012, the cathedral's exterior was changed from a boundary wall to a fence. Due to St. Gemma Galgani Church in Mt. View, Mariveles, Bataan became a parish on July 21, 2012 which included on a roster of the diocese's churches and parishes, a statue of her was added outside the cathedral later that year. More images were added at the cathedral's parking area as its front only has the capacity of 16. Pavement of the ground on the exterior was made from 2017 to 2018, the belfry added the bricks in 2019, and the side exterior walls of the cathedral were repainted.[1] In 2020, the cathedral's roof were painted from green and white to red. Pipe organs were also added on the cathedral's choir loft. Months before Santos became Bishop of Antipolo on July 22, 2023, the cathedral's leftmost entrance was blocked with a wall but the door is still present.
Five years after the cathedral's last repainting in 2019, it was again repainted during sede vacante period between Bishop Ruperto Santos and his successor as Bishop of Balanga, and under the apostolic administration of Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga Florentino Lavarias and tenure of Fr. Noel Niguid as cathedral's rector and parish priest.
The feast day of Saint Joseph is celebrated twice annually in the city of Balanga, on March 19 and the pistang bayan every April 28.
Bishops of Balanga
| No. | Picture | Name | Period in Position (appointed) | Period in Office (installed) | Length in Position (appointed) | Length in Office (installed) | Coat of arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Celso Nogoy Guevarra | November 8, 1975– June 18, 1998 |
22 years, 7 months, 10 days (8,258 days) |
 | ||
| 2 | .jpg) |
Honesto Flores Ongtioco | June 18, 1998– August 28, 2003 |
5 years, 2 months, 10 days (1,897 days) |
 | ||
| 3 |  |
Socrates Buenaventura Villegas | May 3, 2004–November 4, 2009 | July 3, 2004–November 4, 2009 | 5 years, 6 months, 1 day (2,011 days) |
5 years, 4 months, 1 day (1,950 days) |
 |
| 4 |  |
Ruperto Cruz Santos | April 1, 2010–July 22, 2023 | July 8, 2010–July 22, 2023 | 13 years, 3 months, 21 days (4,860 days) |
13 years, 14 days (4,762 days) |
 |
Sede vacante administrators (without an appointed bishop and bishop-elect period)
| Name | Preceding Installed Bishop |
Sede Vacante Length (without an appointed bishop) | Sede Vacante during Bishop-Elect Period Length where the diocese already have a bishop but before assuming office or installation and Succeeding Installed Bishop | Overall Sede Vacante Length (period without a bishop in office) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio "Tony" S. Dumaual — died July 21, 2023 and funeral July 31, 2023 | Honesto Flores Ongtioco (August 28, 2003) | 8 months, 5 days (246 days) (August 28, 2003–May 3, 2004) | 2 months (61 days) (May 3–July 3, 2004) (Socrates Buenaventura Villegas) | 10 months, 5 days (310 days) |
| Victor de la Cruz Ocampo (later Bishop of Gumaca, Quezon) — died March 16, 2023 and funeral March 27, 2023 | Socrates Buenaventura Villegas (November 4, 2009) | 4 months, 28 days (148 days) (November 4, 2009–April 1, 2010) | 3 months, 7 days (98 days) (April 1–July 8, 2010) (Ruperto Cruz Santos) | 8 months, 4 days (246 days) |
| Florentino Galang Lavarias (Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga) | Ruperto Cruz Santos (July 22, 2023) | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Cathedral Rectors and Parish Priests
- Rev. Fr. Percival V. Medina (July 2005 – June 5, 2011)
- Rev. Fr. Abraham SP. Pantig (June 5, 2011 – June 5, 2017)
- Rev. Fr. Ernesto de Leon (June 5, 2017 – June 5, 2023)
- Rev. Fr. Noel Niguid (June 5, 2023 – Present)
 | This section contains too many pictures for its overall length. (February 2024) |
Another historical marker
Detail of the Angels in the church facade
Facade of the Balanga Cathedral
Belfry
Frontage of right side entrance
Schedule of Masses
Cathedra, with the Cathedral/Bishop's Coat of arms (Ecclesiastical heraldry) above it
Dome
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando - 1st Bishop Celso Nogoy Guevarra, D.D.+, Church grave
Church interior from the sanctuary
Statue inside
Individual storage of cinerary urns
Facade of the columbarium
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
St. Joseph Formation Center
Fr. Mariano Sarili Hall
Parish Offices
Priests' residence
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