SFX Founding Anniversary celebrated for the first time

It was on March 5, 1965 when the chapel of St. Francis Xavier along the shores of Tibungco formally became St. Francis Xavier Parish. The first Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Henri Babin, PME decided to find another and a bigger lot in which to build a bigger church. Through his efforts and the support of the Parishioners of Tibungco, the Inaugural Parochial Fiesta was done in the new and bigger church on December 3, 1965, the Feast Day of St. Francis Xavier.

On October 27, 1981, sixteen years after, then Parish Priest Msgr. Charles Van Den Ouwelant, MSC, led the laying of the corner stone of a new and much bigger church. The “New Church” reached completion in 1986 and is now 33 years old. The first church built in 1965 is now called the “Old Church”. It is now also used as a meeting place, a gathering place not just for church people but for all people of Barangay Tibungco. It has become a landmark not just because of the famous SFX Calvary which was later built beside it, it has also become a showcase of the legacy left by the PME Fathers and the people of Tibungco’s support and love for the Catholic Faith.

The present Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Jhun Gimeno deemed it proper that the Parish should celebrate a Founding Anniversary. After much thought and contemplation Fr. Jhun and the Parish Pastoral Team decided that beginning this year, Foundation Day is set on October 27. Thus, 38 years after the first laying of its corner stone, the Foundation Day of SFX Church was celebrated for the first time last Sunday, October 27, 2019.

With the theme “Mga Parokyano ni San Francisco Javier nagtambayayong isip Katawhan sa Diyos nga mahigugmaon ug maalagaron”, the Foundation Day kicked off with a Holy Mass led by Rev. Fr. Jhun Gimeno, then followed the parade, and the celebration of presentations and games and fun at the Old Church grounds continued until late in the afternoon. Sir Jenny P. Cortez, Parish PSK Coordinator and the whole PSK Ministry spearheaded the preparations for the celebration. (Vivien Therese L. Bonzon | SFX Parish SoCCom)