Malate Catholic Church

Mabuhay! Welcome to Malate Catholic Church website!

HISTORY

Malate first appeared in historical records as a small fishing and salt-making village visited by Augustinian friars who accompanied Miguel Lopez de Legaspi when he came to Manila in 1571. Rev. Fr. Diego Vivar, OSA, became Malate's first Parish Priest from its formal foundation as a parish on September 8, 1588. Eight years later, the Augustinian Fathers built a sturdier church on the exact location where Malate Church stands today. The image of the Patroness, Virgen de los Remedios, was brought from Andalucia, Spain by Rev. Fr. Juan Guevarra, OSA, in 1624.

Malate, 'Maalat' in the old times due to the saline waters of the bay, was also known as Laguio or Lagunoi, the name of the street which separated it from Ermita. It is bounded by Ermita, San Fernando de Dilao and San Pedro de Makati, Pasay, and Parañaque. "One main street, wide and beautiful, passes by the center, and leads up to Cavite. The numerous trees make this road a pleasant walk."

The district of Malate has undergone a lot of changes in recent years. Prior to World War II, Malate was the so-called fashionable area of the city. After the war, many residents moved to the suburbs but continued to keep a connection with Malate Church. Now each day more than 20,000 people, mostly students and workers, come to Malate Church.

Half of the total population in the Malate community belongs to the urban poor. The community has been divided into nine areas and the unifying thrust is towards building Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC). Presently, each area in the community has its own Area Council with elected leaders. The programs of adult faith formation have also emerged and a center focused on spirituality has been developed.

The parish is presently administered by the Columban Fathers. At present, six priests and two Columban lay missionaries are assigned in Malate. The style of governance is Team Ministry with the priests meeting every Tuesday afternoon to coordinate with and serve the people better.

The Augustinian friars administered the parish from 1581 to 1898. In 1898, the Secular Clergy of Manila assumed the administration until 1912. Meanwhile, the Redemptorist Fathers took over the management of the parish in 1913 up to 1929. Since 1929, the administration of the parish was entrusted to the Columban Fathers.



OUR LADY OF REMEDIES

History of the Title

Around 800 years ago, Christians in Europe were being captured and sold into slavery by the thousands. Nobody knew what to do about this problem until Frenchman, John of Matha, came up with a solution. With Felix of Valois (later canonized) he founded the Trinitarian Order (which received Papal approval in 1198) whose principal mission would be to go to the slave markets, buy the Christian slaves, and set them free. To do this they needed large amounts of money, so they placed their fund-raising efforts under the patronage of Mary. In gratitude for her assistance, John honored Mary with the title Our Lady of Good Remedy. Veneration of Mary under this title quickly spread from France to Andalucia in Spain and from there to the Americas and to Asia. She is often depicted in the act of handing a bag of money to St. John of Matha. The Church celebrates her feast day on October 8.

Of the 17 listed churches in the Philippines honoring Mary wit the title "Nuestra Señora de los Remedios", Malate, the oldest, was established by the Augustinian friars on September 8, 1588. The image of the Virgen de los Remedios was brought from Spain to Malate by Fr. Juan de Guevara, OSA, in 1624. It survived the Chinese invasion of 1662, the British occupation of the church in 1762, the Great Earthquake of 1863 and the destruction of the church in February 1945. Down through the centuries the faithful have displayed a great love and devotion for this statue, which is very graceful in its lines, and though small (about 2 feet in height) has a very distinctive beauty. The faith of the people of Malate has frequently been rewarded with great favors from God. Our hearts rejoice to observe the increasing number of people who come every Saturday from all over Metro Manila for the special 8:00am Children's Mass in Malate. Mothers bring their little ones to offer them to the Blessed Virgin and to place them under her care and protection.