(Minalin Church)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Twenty-four heritage churches in this province have been shut down by the San Fernando archdiocese pending inspections by experts to make sure they were not weakened by last Monday’s earthquake. However, some could be open for Masses by this Sunday, unless their damages are found to be severe and unsafe.
“Holy Rosary parish church in Angeles is closed for the meantime for thorough inspection,” parish priest Fr. Francis Dizon told Punto.
A total of 23 other churches all over Pampanga were reported closed, with priests holding Masses and other ceremonies in other places determined to be structurally safe.
In Porac where the Chuzon Supermarket collapsed and buried scores of people during the earthquake, the Sta. Catalina de Alexandria church, built in 1867, was heavily damaged by the quake.
Sr. Maria Garcia of the Apu Mamacalulu Shrine in Angeles City said Masses are being held outdoors beside her church pending assurance from engineers the church is structurally sound.
In the hometown of House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Gov. Lilia Pineda, the San Agustin church was also reported to be unsafe.
The church’s belfry also collapsed and, inside, fissures were observed on the floor and post-foundations. The church is located beside the provincial residence of Arroyo, not far from the Lubao municipal hall.
The San Fernando archdiocese’s decision to shut down the churches was apparently based on the recommendations of the Archdiocesan Commission on Church Heritage (ACCH) Secretariat which has coordinated with engineering experts and national agencies to ensure the safety of the churches.
In the first district of Pampanga, the closed churches include those of the Holy Rosary parish, Angeles City; Nuestra Señora de Gracia parish, Mabalacat City; and San Bartolome Apostol parish, Magalang.
In the second district represented by Arroyo in Congress, the closed churches are of the San Agustin parish, Lubao; Sta. Lucia parish, Sasmuan; Immaculada Concepcion parish, Guagua; Santiago Apostol parish. Betis, Guagua; San Jose Labrador parish, Floridablanca; Sta. Catalina de Alexandria parish, Porac; and Sta. Rita de Cascia parish, Sta. Rita.
In the third district, the churches are those of the Metropolitan Cathedral, City of San Fernando; Sta. Catalina Alexandria parish, Arayat; San Guillermo parish, Bacolor; Sta. Monica parish, Mexico; Sta. Ana parish, Sta. Ana; and San Vicente Ferrer parish, Calulut, City of San Fernando.
In the fourth district, the shut-down churches are those of the San Pedro Apostol parish, Apalit; San Andres parish, Candaba; San Nicolas de Tolentino parish, Macabebe; San Miguel Arkanghel parish, Masantol; Sta. Monica parish, Minalin; San Luis Gonzaga parish, San Luis; Nuestra Señora del Pilar parish, San Simon; Sto. Tomas Apostol parish, Sto. Tomas.
