St. Joseph The Worker Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral and the seat of the Diocese of Tagbilaran. Located in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines, it is also referred to as San Jose de Tagbilaran Church, Tagbilaran Cathedral, Cathedral Parish of St. Joseph the Worker, and Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph.
Its second patron is San Roque (St. Roch).
Table of Contents
History
During Spanish times, what was then the church in Tagbilaran was founded by Jesuit priests who arrived in 1596. It was a visita of Baclayon and its status was elevated to a parish in 1767.
The Jesuits built a church and convent but both did not survive from a fire on December 23, 1798. The Augustinian Recollects, who were given missions of the Jesuits in Bohol when the latter left in 1768, initiated the construction of the structures in the church complex in the 19th century.
The stone church was built within the term of Fr. Valero Salvo de San Sebastian, O.A.R. between 1839 and 1855. In the following years, succeeding Recollect friars undertook the building of the convent (Fr. Lucas Coromina between 1833 and 1875) and the bell tower (Fr. Jose Sanez, Fr. Escolastico between 1886 and 1891).
When the secular clergy assumed the administration of the parish, they made several reconstructions including the portico, facade, and naves.
The church became the seat of the Diocese of Tagbilaran when it was created on November 8, 1941. Later, the diocese gave birth to the Diocese of Talibon in 1986. On May 1, 2021, the cathedral became a diocesan shrine.
The cathedral was struck with earthquake on October 15, 2013. Along with other churches in Bohol that were damaged by the said calamity, it underwent restoration by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines that was completed in 2020.
Heritage
The Philippine Historical Commission declared the cathedral a heritage church and installed a marker in 1953.
Architecture
The portico of Tagbilaran Cathedral reaches up to the upper level of the facade. Across it a few meters away is the humble statue of the patron carrying the Holy Child. By the entrance is a pair of Tuscan columns . The facade is characterized with apertures with tracery, the ground floor featuring almost rectilinear ones that contrast with the wide arches of the second level. The pediment bears a trim of arched indents and topped with a cross.
The bell tower on the other hands shows grandly its age, a rubblework that rises in the epistle flank of the facade. Its corners splayed, it is quadrangular and pierced with arch windows. Its uppermost level is rather contemporary consisting of walls punctured with round apertures, decorated with volutes in white coat, and crowned with a dome and a cross.
Celebration
The feast day in Tagbilaran is held every first of May. Additionally, the feast day of St. Roch, on the other hand, falls on August 16th.
Services
The parish office is open daily from 9:00 in the morning until noon and from 2:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Joseph The Worker Cathedral in Tagbilaran City 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 Tagbilaran City.
Monday
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:15-8:15 AM (Facebook Live)
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Tuesday
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:15-8:15 AM (Facebook Live)
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Wednesday
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:15-8:15 AM (Facebook Live)
- 5:15-6:15 PM
- 6:15-7:15 PM
Thursday
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:15-8:15 AM (Facebook Live)
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Friday
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:15-8:15 AM (Facebook Live)
- 3:00-4:00 PM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Saturday
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:15-8:15 AM (Facebook Live)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Anticipated Mass)
- 6:45-7:45 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 9:00-10:00 AM (Facebook live)
- 10:30-11:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM (Facebook live)
- 2:00-3:00 PM
- 3:30-4:30 PM (Facebook live)
- 5:00-6:00 PM (Facebook live)
- 6:30-7:30 PM
- 7:45-8:45 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Joseph The Worker Cathedral in Tagbilaran City |
| Other Names | Tagbilaran Cathedral, Cathedral Parish of St. Joseph the Worker, Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph, San Jose de Tagbilaran Church |
| Address | J.A. Clarin Street, Tagbilaran City, Bohol 6300 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 0907 209 8298 |
| st.josephcathedral.tagb17@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1596 |
| Age | 429 years |
| Status | Cathedral, Parish |
| Declared as cathedral | November 8, 1941 |
| Declared as parish | 1767 |
| Age as parish | 258 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Tagbilaran |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Joseph the Worker |
| Patron | St. Joseph, St. Roch |
| Feast day | May 1 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | 1855 |
| Age since completed | 170 years |
| Builder | Fr. Valero Salvo de San Sebastian, O.A.R. |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Birhen Sa Barangay Shrine-Parish Church in Cogon, Tagbilaran City
- Divine Mercy Chaplaincy in Dampas, Tagbilaran City
- Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Tagbilaran City, Bohol
- San Antonio de Padua Church in Poblacion, Tagbilaran City
- St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish Church in Dampas, Tagbilaran City
- St. Jude Thaddeus Shrine in Mansasa Heights, Tagbilaran City
- St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church in Bool, Tagbilaran City
References
- Jose, Regalado Trota (2001). Visita Iglesia Bohol: A Guide to Historic Churches. National Commission on Culture and the Arts. Manila, Philippines. ISBN 9718140166, 978-9718140161. Retrieved December 7, 2022
- Church of Tagbilaran. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. October 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2022
- Pablo Panedas OAR and Emmanuel Luis A. Romanillos. Cathedrals in the Philippines Constructed by Augustinian Recollects. Agustinos Recoletos. June 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022
- Diocese of Tagbilaran. Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved December 7, 2022
- 12 errors in the Tagbilaran Cathedral Marker. Bohol Chronicle. July 12, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2022
- Ferdinand Patinio. 21 churches damaged in 2013 Bohol quake restored. Philippine News Agency. October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2022
- Cathedral declared as St. Joseph Diocesan Shrine. Bohol Chronicle. May 4, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2022