BOLINAO: Saint James the Great Parish Church and the First Mass in the Philippines

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The Saint James the Great Parish Church is a Spanish colonial church located at Brgy. Germinal in Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines.

The church was made out of black coral stones. The church underwent series of natural and man-made calamities, such as the 1788 earthquake, 1819 fire incident, and Typhoon Emong in 2009.

FIRST MASS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Odoric did not return to Italy till the end of 1329 or the beginning of 1330; but, as regards intermediate dates, all that we can deduce from his narrative or other evidence is that he was in western India soon after 1321 (pretty certainly in 1322) and that he spent three years in China between the opening of 1323 and the close of 1328.

On one of his trips, his ship was nearly capsized by a typhoon but they landed safely in Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines. He is said to have held a Mass there, in around 1324. That would have pre-dated the Mass celebrated in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, which is generally regarded as the first Mass in the Philippines, by some 197 years.

However, historian William Henry Scott concluded after examining Odoric's writings about his travels that he likely never set foot on Philippine soil and, if he did, there is no reason to think that he celebrated Mass. Reference: Wikipedia

Marker from the Saint James the Great Parish Church

St. James the Great Parish
Bolinao, Pangasinan, was canonically erected in the year 1609 when the Augustinian Friars took over this mission territory which was earlier entrusted by the Spanish Colonial Government to the Dominican Friars in the year 1594 and left the place in the year 1607 due to the vastness of their mission territories and the scarcity of their missionary members. The Church tower of Bolinao measuring seventy-five (75) feet was then the tallest in the whole Pangasinan if not in the entire Northern Luzon. However, an earthquake in 1788 toppled about half of it. Then in 1819, the Church Convent was also accidentally burned.

The church tower of Bolinao used to be the tallest in Pangasinan until an earthquake destroyed half of the tower in 1788. The church convent was accidentally burned in 1819.

HOW TO GET TO SAINT JAMES THE GREAT PARISH CHURCH (BOLINAO CHURCH)

You can get to Bolinao via bus or by your own vehicle. Here are some important guidelines for you that will help you get there.

By Bus

Generally, there are three main bus service providers who organize trips to Bolinao, Pangasinan. They offer both day and night services. You can make your bookings on an AC or non AC bus. It’s all up to you. You can just go directly or call these Bus operators listed below:
• Victory Liner (Cubao Terminal) Phone number: (02) 727-4534, 727-4688, 410-8986
• FiveStar Bus Inc.( Pasay Terminal) Phone number: (02) 851-6613, 851-6614, 851-6659, 833-4772
• Dagupan Bus Line (Cubao Terminal) Phone number: (02) 727-2330

You can check ticket rates via 12go Asia:

Travel time to Bolinao

It takes 5 to 6 hours to reach this town. If you are traveling by bus, stopovers would be at Dau, Tarlac, and Alaminos. Make sure to carry some food along with you. In order to get trip plans, ticket booking, and other important details, you might get in touch with the bus service providers. Upon reaching Bolinao town proper, you would have to take a tricycle in order to reach your hotel or resort.

By Private Car

It is one of the best and convenient ways to reach Bolinao. If you have your own car then you won’t have to worry about the time. You can tour around freely. You can take the Subic, Clark, and Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) route in order to view the scenic beauty of the landscapes of Bolinao.

Saint James the Great Parish Church

Address: Arnedo, Saturnino Camangian, Bolinao, Pangasinan

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