The Archdiocese of Davao’s 75TH Diamond Anniversary

When a couple celebrates their 25th year of marriage, it is called “silver anniversary,” on their 50th year, golden anniversary, and on the 75th year, diamond jubilee. Looking back, I was an 8-year-old grade 3 student in 1949. My mother was a good friend of Bishop Clovis Thibault and Monsignor Maurice Michaud of the French Canadian P.M.E. Congregation. I recall some stories of my mother about the Church because she used to board in the RVM Convent (the I.C.C. auditorium and girls school). I remember that the previous church was made of wood, gothic style with 4 tall spires on the roof (think Paris Note Dame Cathedral). Beside the front door was a narrow elliptical staircase going up to choir stand.

The present church is built on the same spot. The church compound was bounded by 3 streets: Bolton where the ICC school, auditorium and the RVM sister’s convent was, the Davao Provincial Capital and a fountain was in front of the church separated by San Pedro street; Claveria (Recto avenue) which had part of the PME convent and the St. Peter’s elementary (until the Jesuits opened their elementary and high school in 1948 in Matina). The belfry beside the corner of Claveria and San Pedro streets used to be part of a basketball courthouse from 1947 up to the late 50s. The C.Y.O. (Catholic Youth Organization) summer basketball league was held the postwar NCAA heroes played there: La Salle’s Jun Iňigo, Tony Bangoy, San Beda’s Loreto Carbonell and Lito Bangoy, Ateneo de Manila’s Rabat Cesar Dignos and Letran Dominador Dawal. The most popular team coached by Atty. Manuel Cabaguio and Kuning Rita was the Davao Kids.

The PME fathers were originally assigned to China. The first group including Bishop Thibault and Monsignor Michaud, studied Mandarin. Most PME fathers including Bishop Thibault were imprisoned from 1942 to 1945. Bad food, bad facilities, no medicine worsened the health of Bishop Thibault who was asthmatic. Monsignor Michaud was in 1941 the Mati Parish priest. He hid in the jungles of Davao Oriental. He said he must have eaten some bad vegetables, roots, plants which damaged his stomach. He had a very painful stomach making him bend all the time until he died. (Part 2 next week XACOSE and REMASE)