Religious Aspect

STO. TOMAS DE VILLANUEVA CHURCH

Sto. Tomas de Villanueva church is undeniably one of the greatest landmark in Danao City. It was constructed 84 years later after Danao was established as a parish in 1671 under the patronage of Señor Sto. Tomas de Villanueva, thus the name of the church was dedicated. Though the liturgical feast day of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva is celebrated every 22nd of September, by tradition Danawanons celebrate the feast day of their patron saint every 3rd Monday of September.

Sto. Tomas de Villanueva parish church is located along national highway in Poblacion, Danao City and is considered today as the mother church of all the existing Roman Catholic churches in the city. The church, attracting visitors by its grandeur, proud by its centuries of existence, facing east in its orientation and standing at an elevation of approximately 3 meters above sea level.

Sto. Tomas de Villanueva parish church in Danao stands as one of the oldest churches found in the Philippines. It was originally constructed in 1755 and its construction was credited to Fr. Manuel de Santa Barbara. The church was made up of numerous materials including sugar cane and cut coral stones from the sea which was a common building material for churches constructed near the shoreline during that period. Historical accounts about Danao mentioned that the church was opened to worship in 1824 under Recollect administration.

It was during the time of Padre Manuel Fernandez de la Virgin del Rosario as parish priest from 1843 to 1867, that the crucero (right and left wing) of the church was additionally constructed.

The construction of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva parish church took a long time to finish. The construction history showed that within the span of 132 years the church had undergone 3 major phases of its construction from 1755 until 1887. All phases of its construction were done by Recollect friars assigned in Danao. The first phase was the construction of the “Nave”or the central part of the church together with its “Belfry” of which construction started in 1755. It was followed by the “Transept”(crucero) an area of the church which crosses the nave, constructed during the time of Padre Manuel Fernandez de la Virgin del Rosario as parish priest from 1843 to 1867. The last phase was the construction of the “Sacristy” which is directly behind the main altar of the church completed in 1887 during the time of Padre Fidel Moreno de San Hilarion as parish priest.

It was also during the time of Padre Manuel Fernandez de la Virgin del Rosario that the construction of the beautiful stone fence that surrounded the church was started and was finally completed in 1913 during the time of Fr. Antonio Medalle. The improvement that took place during early 1900s changed the original appearance of the church. Though the application of cement plasters of most of the church’s interior and exterior masonry achieved a smooth surface appearance, however it defaced the original appearance of the church. In 1937, the wooden floor of the church was changed with tiles. But in 1942 during World War II, most of the church was destroyed by fire and only the facade, walls and belfry of the church remained intact. The church was rebuilt in 1946 and Masses were temporarily held by Rev. Fr. Emilio Vicentillo in the old convent located of what is today Sto. Tomas College in Danao City. The rebuilding of the church was completed in 1960 by Rev. Fr. Cesar Jose Alcoseba.

In 1981, the church underwent a major renovation and Masses were temporarily held in multi-purpose building located at the back of the church. The renovation of the church which was initiated by Msgr. Santos de La Serna and funded by Manong Amon was completed in 1985. The architecture of the renovated church was designed by Roll Durano, a renowned Danawanon architect. The renovated church is expanded from its original size and has a miter dome which is majestically structured at the rooftop that adds a “basilica effect” to the renovated church. It is probably the only church with a miter atop of its dome. Finial decoration which is inherent to the original design also becomes a dominant feature through jutting columns that form an interesting pattern at the rooftop of the church. The belfry flooring and interior walling are reinforced with concrete beams and columns with cement plasters that thicken its walls to some extent. The cement plasters that covered the facade, walls and belfry were chiseled out revealing again the original and antique exterior appearance of the church as one can observe nowadays. The inaugural blessing of the renovated church and the Solemn Consecration of its Marble Altar of Sacrifice was done by Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal on December 23, 1985.

The church today is greatly renovated for time calls for it, but the renovation cannot depreciate its great historical value. Though the church, proud by its centuries of existence, is not considered and proclaimed as one of the heritage structures in Cebu, but its history unfolded is far more valuable than proclaiming this church to be so.

ASSIGNED PRIESTS IN STO. TOMAS DE VILLANUEVA PARISH (Updated Sept. 2014)

Before other parishes in Danao were erected, Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish was also known as Danao Parish. For centuries, Danao Parish was placed under the administration of the Recollect Friars, but starting in 1898 up to the present, the parish is placed under the administration of Filipino Priests. 

NO.	NAME	TENURE	REMARK
1.	Rev. Fr. Cecilio Sanchez	1898 – 1899
2.	Rev. Fr. Antonio Medalle	1899 – 1913
3.	Rev. Fr. Vicente Roa	1913 – 1930
4.	Rev. Fr. Nicolas G. Batucan	1930 – 1941
5.	Rev. Fr. Tomas Villamor	1941 – 1943
6.	Rev. Fr. Emilio Vicentillo	1943 - 1951	Msgr. 1962
7.	Rev. Fr. Diosdado Camomot	1951 – 1958
8.	Msgr. Cesar Jose Alcoseba	1958 – 1976
9.	Msgr. Santos de la Serna	1976 – 1987
10.	Msgr. Pascual M. Ypil	1987 – 1991
11.	Rev. Fr. Nemesio Sungcad	1991 – 1997
12.	Msgr. Cayetano Gilbolingo	1997 – 2004
13.	Rev. Fr. Phil Ch Tumulak	2004 – 2008	Moderator – Team of Pastors
14.	Rev. Fr. Henry B. Bascones	2004 –	Member – Team of Pastors
15.	Rev. Fr. Antonio G. Zamora, Jr.	2004 – 2008	Member – Team of Pastors
16.	Most Rev. Emilio L. Bataclan, D.D.	2008 – July 30, 2014	Auxiliary Bishop
17	Rev. Fr. Frederick T. Malinao	July 30, 2014 - present	Moderator – Team of Pastors
18	Rev. Fr. Nilo B. Igloria	July 30, 2014 - present	Member – Team of Pastors
19	Rev. Fr. Nilo A. Nemeño	July 30, 2014 - 2015	Member – Team of Pastors

List of Priests is copied from the Souvenir Program 2006 of Danao City