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Parishioners gathering to celebrate the St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Lazi to witness the turnover of the Completed Restoration Project of the Church “Simbahan ng Lazi” which was funded by the national government through the National Historical Commission of The Philippines (NHCP). (rac/PIA7-Siquijor) School children were as eager as their elders to welcome the visitors from NHCP and from the Diocese of Dumaguete for the turnover of the Completed Restoration Project. (rac/PIA7-
Alongside the St. Isidore the Farmer Church is the Lazi Convent, touted as the oldest in Asia which had also undergone restoration works in the previous years. (rac/PIA7-Siquijor)
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THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.PIA.GOV.PH and the DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.DOST.GOV.PH VOL. 07| No.30 August 29 - September 5, 2019
‘Simbahan ng Lazi’: Embracing government’s restoration project
Diocese of Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes ( c e n t e r, l e f t ) w a s eagerly welcomed by the Chairman of the diocese’s Commission on Church Cultural Heritage, Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela (right), and the local parishioners. Cortes officiated the signing of the turnover and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and Declaration of the Completed Restoration Project of Lazi Church. (PIA Siquijor)
by Rizalie Anding Calibo SIQUIJOR (PIA) -- After what he described as a “rewardingly difficult, never-ending struggle,” Diocese of Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes expressed great joy and gratitude as he accepted the Completed Restoration Project of the Church “Simbahan ng Lazi” known as the St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Lazi, Siquijor. St. Isidore the Farmer Church is now 135 years old and was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. It is also a nominee to the UNESCO World Heritage list of Baroque Churches of the Philippines, said Chairman of the diocese’s Commission on Church Cultural Heritage, Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela. “On behalf of the Diocese of Dumaguete, I happily and gratefully accept the full-restored church in Lazi,” Cortes said as he called on the local community to embrace and understand how important heritage conservation is as part of the community development. “It is indeed a striking restoration project undertaken by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, a government agency that has become the instrument of the great blessing,” the Bishop said, adding that he accepts the task and takes responsibility in maintaining it and seeing to it that it serves well the people not only in the parish but all those who come to visit them. At the Eucharistic Celebation and Dedication ceremony, the Bishop stressed in his Homily that the church should be observed and would remain a sacred place for worship, prayer, forgiveness, reconciliation and other liturgical acts to glorify God. “God is not against economic growth but the temple is not for business, it is for sacred acts that is for God,” Cortes stressed.
The 135-year old St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Lazi, Siquijor, was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines and is a nominee to the UNESCO World Heritage list of Baroque Churches of the Philippines. (rac/PIA7-Siquijor) The P39-million restoration project was finished after more than a year, initiated and funded by the government through the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). Tu r n o v e r c e r e m o n y a n d declaration of the century-old heritage church was done on Aug. 27, 2019 with NHCP Deputy Executive Director Carminda Arevalo and other NHCP officials and priests from the Diocese of Dumaguete led by Cortes. Official signing of the turnover was witnessed by Architect Reynaldo Lita, chief of the Historic Preservation Division of the NHCP, Lazi Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Anecito Gutierrez, Siquijor Governor Zaldy S. Villa, Lazi Mayor James Monte, and other local government and church
officials. Few years prior to the church’s restoration, other restoration works were also done to the Lazi Convent, touted as the biggest convent and one of the oldest in Asia. Along with the Lazi Church, NHCP also turned over to the Diocese of Dumaguete two other governmentfunded church restoration projects—the St. Nicholas of Tolentino Parich Church in Dauin and also the St. Isidore the Farmer Parish Church in Zamboanguita, both in Negros Oriental. Heruela said restoration started in 2018 and received a combined government funding of almost P70 million that was turned over to the Diocese of Dumaguete through the NHCP. (rac/PIA7 Siquijor)