Parish of Sta. Monica (Hamtic, Antique)

The Augustinian friars founded the church of Hamtic in 1581. The parish church was buikt and chose Sta. Monica as their patron saint. It became a visita of Ibahay, Aklan. The Augustinian friars left it in 1596.

It became a parish once more in the early 1700s. Later on it became a vista once again, this time to Bugasong, Antique and became the headquarters for evangelization.

Hamtic became the first parish in Antique in 1581, the patron saint was San Guillermo. The old church was believed to be built at Maybato North and was used as fortress. It is said to be found near the Malandog tidal river which is ideal and a very much used harbor.

In the 17th century, pirates invaded Hamtic with destructive consequences. The old church was destroyed but the ruins remained.

In 1644 until 1690, the parish was under Guimbal until Fr. Hipolito Casiano, OSA refounded and constructed a new church at what is now Hamtic town with Sta. Monica as its patron saint.

what is believed to be the ruins of the old church of Hamtic inside the cemetery

San Jose Parish (San Jose, Antique)

Long before, San Jose belonged to the parish of Hamtic. Due to frequent Moro raids, the old church was rammed down by raiders and the Augustinian priests were forced to abandon the place and look for another site to relocate. The parishioners decided to move to a higher place away from the sea.

They have finally found a very suitable place, it was high, far from the sea and has an exquisite view of the mountains. The parishioners as well as some priests chose to settle and erected a village which they referred to as “Buenavista” which means beautiful site.

A story is passed from one generation to the next how St. Joseph the Worker became the patron saint of the parish. Long ago, there was a very strong typhoon to hit Buenavista Village, which caused sea turbulence. Soon, a tidal wave was formed that was to devour the whole village. It made the people terrified until they saw a man in the midst of the storm, he face the shore with the roaring huge wave. He raised his hand, holding a staff as though commanding the sea to settle down.  And it did! The angry wave slowly settled down. When the storm was finally over, the villagers tried to look for the man, but he was nowhere to be found. The people who have witnessed the event swore the resemblance of St. Joseph the Worker in many ways. They believed it was a miracle and so the Augustinians consecrated the village as San Jose de Buenavista named after St. Joseph whim the people made their patron saint.

In 1793, San Jose became an independent Parish with Fr. Manuel  Ibañez, OSA as parish priest. In 1802, San Jose became the capital town of Antique.

Parish of San Augustine (Patnongon, Antique)

ruins of the old church which was converted to school

Patnongon, was named as San Simon in 1762 and was made a town in 1762. The church was founded by Augustinian Friars but they left the town in 1777 and it became a visita of Sibalom, it remained a visita until the 2nd quarter of the 19th century.

The church was made through force labor and was finished in 1879. It is considered to be the best church in Antique until was destroyed in during the World War II when it was made a fortress by the Japanese forces. It was partially renovated by the Mill Hill Missionaries to make way for the school

St. Augustine was considered as the patron saint because legend has it that he used to frightened the pirates away. A beared man in flowing robes holding a staff and walking along the beaches to drive all the pirates off the shore.

Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul (San Pedro, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique)

new parish and convent of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish

The Old Catholic church of the parish was built by the Augustinians during the Spanish regime. It has a shape of a Latin cross with three gates; it is 77 meters long and 14 meters wide. Its roof was made of cogon grass but according to the legend, the monkey pet of a priest burned it and since then the church has remained unfinished.

The beautiful grotto inside the ruins was made by an architect, Fr. Richard Kemperman, MHM. He beautified, inaugurated and blessed the church on February 11. 1940, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The church was neglected when the Japanese forces invaded the province of Antique. Post-war, a Eucharistic celebration is being held every February 11.

The belfry towering the old structure was built when Fr. Cornelius de Wit, MHM became parish priest in 1954. The statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette were moved to the south gate under the regency of Fr. John Daly, MHM in 1961.

In 1972, San Pedro became the farmer’s center of the Diocese. Fr. Gerard Pijnappel, MHM put up buildings on the left and right side of the church in order to house farmers when seminars and trainings were conducted.

After long been neglected, Fr. Glicerio Geremia was assigned to the parish and tried to restore the spiritual value of this historical landmark. Architect Harold Tating and his sister implemented the priest’s plan of improving the interior of the church and the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes. These were all done with the help of the Parish Pastoral Council, different organizations and generous people who conducted several fundraising activities.

The Knights of the Sacred Heart of Jesus cleared the site inside the old church and a new floor was laid together with flowers, grasses and ornamental plants donated by the parishioners. The statues of our Lady of Lourdes (place on an elevated mound) and St. Bernadette were placed back to their original position. A pond was dug with water flowing from the top of the mound and later new iron gates and illumination were provided.

ruins of the old church

In 2005, a new Via Cruses or way of the cross was installed inside the church for meditation especially during Lenten Season.

Parish of San Juan Nepumoceno (Anini-y, Antique)

The massive white coral baroque style church dedicated to San Juan Nepomuceno was built around 1630-1638 by priests working in Antique. It could be Fr. Hipolito Casiano but there was no evident recorded of the identity of the person who constructed it. It is the oldest, only century-old existing church in Antique. Read more