Our Lady of the Snows Parish Church, also called Dumarao Church and Nuestra Senora de las Nieves Church, is a Roman Catholic and Marian church located in Dumarao, Capiz, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
Dumarao was called Barbaran in the past, and it is said that Spanish colonizers arrived in 1581. What historical records show is the fact the Augustinians handed over its pastoral care to the secular clergy. On April 29, 1617, they requested to resume their mission and the church was placed under the advocation of Nuestra Senora de la Natividad.
However, the plan did not push through due to issues with certain terms involving its transfer from the Diocese to the Augustinians. In 1619, they exchanged it for Aklan. It became a parish in 1705 (another account stated 1620) and Our Lady of Snows was enshrined as its patroness.
A church was built between 1710 and 1728, however it was destroyed by a typhoon the struck in 1875. Fr. Abundio Garcia erected a temporary house of worship in 1880. Parish priests such as Fathers Francisco Aguirre and Fr. Elias Rivate who succeeded him completed the church building project.
On November 16, 2009, a fire from an electrical fault began in the ceiling of Our Lady of the Snow Institute, an institution founded and managed by the parish. It spread and caused widespread damage to the school and the nearby Our Lady of the Snows Parish Church. Firefighters estimated a total damage of 12 million pesos. The town’s gymnasium and a neighboring edifice next to the church became a temporary house of worship where religious services were held.
Architecture
The church stood as ruins for a period of time, and it had since been repaired. Images of the ruins showed a pink facade of four pilasters, and its arch entrance door has a flight of stairs fanning out into the driveway. It is flanked by niches of holy figures. Above, is the niche of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, flanked by arch windows. Below them are cartouches, with the one in middle containing Augustinian emblem and the following, “Nuestra Señora delas Nieves, Ruega Por Nosotros” (Our Lady of Snows, Pray for Us).
High up on the wall it is embellished by triglyphs, metope, and guttae. The pediment contains a Marian symbol. The bell tower, in the epistle side, has a quadrangular base and an octagonal belfry.
Celebration
The feast day of Our Lady of Snows is August 5.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Our Lady of the Snows Parish Church in Dumarao, Capiz from June 9, 2025 to June 15, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Dumarao.
Monday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Tuesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Wednesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Thursday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Friday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Saturday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM (Ongol Ilaya Chapel)
- 9:30-10:30 AM (Salcedo Chapel)
- 3:00-4:00 PM (Guinotos Chapel)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Our Lady of the Snows Parish Church in Dumarao, Capiz |
| Other Names | Nuestra Senora de las Nieves Church, Dumarao Church |
| Address | Dela Nieves Street, Dumarao, Capiz 5812 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 0907 725 4556 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1581 |
| Age | 444 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1705 |
| Age as parish | 320 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capiz |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Martin of Tours |
| Patron | Our Lady of Snows |
| Feast day | August 5 |
| Architecture | |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Nuestra Señora De La Consolacion Quasi-Parish in Consolacion, Dumalag, Capiz
- Our Lady of Fatima Church in Dacuton, Dumarao, Capiz
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Tinaytayan, Dumarao, Capiz
- San Julian de Cuenca Mission Station in San Julian, Tapaz, Capiz
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Station in Duran, Dumalag, Capiz
- St. Andre Bessette Mission Station in Taft, Tapaz, Capiz
- St. Jerome Church in Tapaz, Capiz
- St. Juan Diego Mission Station in Cristina, Tapaz, Capiz
- St. Martin of Tours Church in Dumalag, Capiz
- St. Nicholas of Myra Church in Tapaz, Capiz
- St. Vigilius Mission Station in San Roque, Dumalag, Capiz
- St. Zita Mission Station in Bungsuan, Dumarao, Capiz
References
- Archdiocese of Capiz. Retrieved March 5, 2024
- The municipality of Dumarao. Capiz Tourism and Cultural Affairs. September 6, 2019. Retrieved. Retrieved March 5, 2024
- Paul Dumol, PhD, Grace Concepcion, PhD, and E.J. Ofilada (August 15, 2020). Research Update: Foundation Dates for “The Pueblos of Panay”. Center for Research and Communication. Retrieved March 5, 2024
- Joel E. Capundan. Fire razes Dumarao catholic church, school. The News Today. November 17, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2024
- Pedro G. Galende, OSA. Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines. G.A. Formoso. 1987. Retrieved March 5, 2024