The way we were - Can Palauig be saved?
02.07.2010
At first I thought there had been a mix-up. The letter asked me to offer Mass next Sunday at Palauig for the intentions of Mr Macario B. Araby. That was clear enough. It went on to add that outside the church there would be four carabaos (buffaloes) in charge of a small boy, who would carry a knife, a bag or satchel with fish which he must have personally caught in the nearby river swamp.
Outside Hollywood all this must be classed as unusual.
When I arrived on the scene on Sunday morning, Palauig gave no sign of anything unusual. Indeed, it gave no sign of anything or anybody, for I was the first to arrive. Before Mass began, however, the placid carabaos seemed to have ambled into position, complete with boy, knife and bag.
The import of all these preparations was not revealed until the people were leaving the church after Mass, and I was called on to bless the tableau and take my place in this photograph. Fifty years ago, Mr Araby had been a small boy in these parts; he had moved up to Manila where he had become a successful business man.
This morning he was giving thanks to God for the blessings of 50 years; his thanks were expressed by the Mass and by the little representative scene mentioned. The photo taken on the occasion appears here. It will enshrine the event in Mr Araby’s memory and mine.
It was necessary to hurry back to Iba for baptisms, and as I went along I had a feeling of despondency. The success story of one of Palauig's citizens had not been paralleled by the parish in general. In 50 years Palauig has gravely deteriorated. When Mr Araby was a boy, a flourishing Catholic community lived here; the bells pealed out from the splendid Spanish church to call the people to Sunday Mass. After half a century without a resident priest, Palauig's bells no longer sound, the church has disappeared, its majestic place taken by a small temporary building with nipa roof and no flooring. Hardly two percent of the people are Catholic.
Is there any hope for Palauig?
The answer to that question is the same all over the Philippines. It depends upon the amount of work that can be put into the effort, or more accurately upon the number of priests. Here you have an independent parish, without a priest of its own, given over to the pastor of Iba, which has nearly 10,000 people itself, more than half of them Catholics. This looks like trying to work with one hand tied, but we are trying to do something.
In my house at Iba there are plans for a new church for Palauig; a catechist is at work on the instruction of the children. Last week I re-baptised 28 of them, and 33 made their First Communion. Every Sunday sees more and more people returning to the Faith of their grandparents. So we have a definite and splendid ideal to aim at.
Palauig is the only church in the entire province where the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved. Perhaps some good people who read these lines will make the decent housing of the Lord in Palauig their ideal also. Money could do a lot for religion here, and prayer will do more.
Then, perhaps, Palauig will begin to parallel the successful career of Mr Macario B. Araby, which gave rise to these reflections.
- Taken from The Far East, June 1, 1953.
Editor’s note: Fr John Walsh the author of this article is the same John Walsh in Fr John Griffin’s article on page 13.
