Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Almeria is a Roman Catholic and Marian church located in Almeria, Biliran, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
Almeria was named after a town in Spain, a hometown of one of the Christian missionaries who visited in the 19th century. Its old name was Bagongbong and changed to Solano after a beloved leader. A church was built and the settlement was raised into a pueblo in 1886 through a decree issued by the governor of Leyte.
In the first decade of the 20th century, the seat of the government was moved from Almeria to Kawayan. The decision was reached by the Colonel Peter Borseth, the governor of Leyte, in 1905.
It was the response to the complaint raised against the mayor, Margarito Sabornido, who allowed the Aglipayan priest Fr. Fernando Buyser to take over the Roman Catholic church and perform religious services. The appointment of an Aglipayan minister as head of the religious affairs of the town did not please many, particularly the Catholics who raised their protest at the Diocese of Cebu.
Borseth installed a new mayor and council, while Sabornido and three others were suspended. A plebiscite was held that sustained the decision to have the pueblo transferred to Kawayan, and thus effectively reducing Almeria to a mere barrio.
On September 1, 1948, President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No. 292 restored the municipal status of Almeria.
An 19th-century church was built from 1850 to 1870. The parish meanwhile was established in 1986. Its adoration chapel was made built through donation by Carmen Nierras Teodoro and the parish community during the stint of Fr. Edelino L. Suyom as parish priest. It used to be the site of the first oven of the town before its conversion. It was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Filomeno G. Bactol, D.D. on January 24, 2004.
Architecture
The church is grandly decorated, employing a white-ochre palette and many church architectural elements such as Ionic capitals of its fluted columns, gablets, arches, triglyphs, dentils, rosettes, festoons, garlands, cartouches, blind rose windows, finials and scrollworks.
One enters through the gates guarded by cherubs, and then goes into the threshold of its portico where above is a Marian emblem (the conjoined initials of Ave Maria) and embellished with pilasters.
The facade is flanked by twin bell towers, and the wall in the gospel side features the bas relief of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in the other side is the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Its upper level are the niches of the evangelists: St. Matthew and St. Mark in the left, St. Luke and St. John in the right. Its pediment contains an oculus bearing the image of the patroness.
Celebration
The feast day of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage is May 24.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Almeria, Biliran from May 12, 2025 to May 18, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Almeria.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Tuesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Thursday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Saturday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Almeria, Biliran |
| Address | Almeria, Biliran 6561 |
| Country | Philippines |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1986 |
| Age | 39 years |
| Status | Parish, Shrine |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Naval |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary |
| Patron | Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage |
| Feast day | May 24 |
Nearby Churches
- Naval Cathedral in Biliran
- Saint Roch Church in Lucsoon, Naval, Biliran
- San Vicente Ferrer Church in Tucdao, Kawayan, Biliran
- St. Michael the Archangel Church in Maripipi, Biliran
- St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Kawayan, Biliran
References
- History of Almeria. Biliran Island. Retrieved April 26, 2024
- Rolando O. Borrinaga. A Revolutionary History of Biliran from 1899 to 1909. Fernando Aquino Buyser. March 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2024
- History of Kawayan. Municipal Government of Kawayan. Retrieved April 24, 2024
- FOLK HISTORY OF ALMERIA. Fernando Aquino Buyser. March 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2024