Happy Fiesta San Pedro Calungsod Quasi-Parish

In 1980s, Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla announced that Baguio can be a parish.

In the 1990s to the early 2000 there were plans to establish Baguio as a parish. It was initiated by Parish priests of Calinan and encouraged the residents to unite and build a church.

In October 14, 2013, Rev. Fr. Ricky T. Flores was appointed by Archbishop Romulo G. Valles as the assistant priest of Rev. Fr. Arnel Tadeo of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Calinan. He was appointed to prepare the Baguio District community to become a parish. As a preparation, there were masses every Sunday in Immaculate Conception Chapel and Zonal Masses presided by Fr. Ricky. It was a two-year preparation. In December 2013, Misa de Gallos were presided by Fr. Ricky and other invited priests.

There were meetings that happened with the family of the former Mayor of Davao City, Elias Lopez. First, the Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) Servant Leaders went to the house of the late Mayor Elias B. Lopez to meet his family and talked about the lot donation. The second meeting happened last September 2014, when they discussed the same concern about the lot donation. The meeting was attended by Dr. Rene Elias Lopez, Alma Lopez, Barangay Captain Rey Espanueva, Alma Espanueva, Anneza Pacomios, and Fr. Ricky Flores

On November 28, 2014, a general assembly of 19 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) Leaders conducted at Immaculate Conception Chapel in Baguio to discuss the plan to establish a parish church. Father Ricky presided the meeting. He asked the leaders about their feelings in establishing a new parish and they responded positively by saying that they are happy and willing to cooperate. They suggested that San Pedro Calungsod will be the patron saint of the Parish and they agreed that the parish will be named after the Filipino saint. During the meeting, Father Ricky informed them that there will be GKK Visitations. The visitations happened last January 2014 to March 2014.

The second General Assembly was conducted and attended by the leaders from the GKKs. They discussed about the lot donation, consultation, and territorial survey. GKK Servant Leaders agreed to have Bayanihan, solicitations, and contribution from the members in order to gather and support the financial needs to build temporary convent and parish office. Some leaders and members also volunteered to donate money. There was a working committee appointed to help and support the plans for the parish construction. On June 2, 2015, they started to build the convent.

Father Ricky stressed and explained that we can be part of the church construction and can contribute even with one peso as long as it is heartily given.

They also agreed that the feast day will be on October 21, the day of San Pedro Calungsod’s canonization.

The third meeting with the Lopez family, was attended by Fr. Ricky Flores, Fr. Pete Lamata, the spiritual director of Alma Lopez, Mrs. Alma Lopez, Atty. Ruy Elias Lopez, and Ana Lopez, the daughter of late Mayor Elias Lopez. It was the time that they formally donated the lot as the location for the church to be constructed, although the legalities of the donation are still under process.

Last December 6, 2015, in time for Advent season, the new parish was declared as the 38th Parish of Archdiocese of Davao. Archbishop of Davao, Romulo G. Valles presided the Holy Mass and the rite of Canonical erection of San Pedro Calungsod Quasi Parish and the installation of its first parish priest, Fr. Ricky Flores, at the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Baguio Proper, Baguio District, Davao City. The parish covers 19 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) formerly under the mother parish, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Calinan, Davao City, which used to have 123 BECs. The bishop thanked Father Ricky who accepted the challenge as the first parish priest. The archbishop also compared the establishment of the San Pedro Calungsod parish to a classroom that accommodates students, saying that the teacher can manage the class if there are fewer students. The bishop added that the priests can attend to the spiritual needs of the parishioners.

It is an answered prayer for the people who longed that Baguio will become a new parish. The parishioners are ready for the challenge of bishop to make the quasi parish a full-pledged parish through their continued support and generosity.

The San Pedro Calungsod Quasi Parish celebrated its First Parochial Fiesta last October 21, 2016 and Second Parochial Fiesta last October 21, 2017. There were different fund raising activities conducted to gather money for the construction of the Parish such as raffle draw, Fun Run and 500 Club, and Alay Piso.