Nuestra Señora De Regla Parish National Shrine is a Roman Catholic church in Lapulapu City, Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines. It is also known as Birhen sa Regla Church, Virgen de Regla Parish National Shrine, and Opon Church after the old name of Lapulapu City.
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History
Opon Church used to be part of the parish of San Nicolas during Spanish colonial times and then later of Mandaue. It became a parish in 1711.
Its administration changed hands many times over the span of its history. It was originally under the Augustinian friars, then to the Jesuits, back to the Augustinians until the end of the Spanish colonization, to the Redemptorists, and finally to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart starting in 1929.
The old church of Nuestra Señora De Regla in Opon used to be made of stone wall whose blocks were from the coral gardens in Mactan. It is no longer in existence.
According to historical records, its construction took place between 1735 and 1744, while the convent was completed in 1885. It was repaired after it was damaged in the Second World War. In the 1960s it was demolished and replaced with the present-day church made of concrete. The convent, luckily, is still extant.
Devotees flock to the church to venerate the image of Our Lady of the Rule that is believed to be miraculous. The first parish priest, Fr. Francisco Avalle, introduced a painting of the Madonna to the lay faithful in 1735 who was then chosen as the patroness of the parish.
A wooden sculpture was ordered to be made after the likeness of the image in the painting. On November 27, 1954, Nuestra Señora de Regla was given canonical coronation, one of only four and one of only three Marian images given such an honor.
The list of holy images granted pontifical crowning includes Santo Niño de Cebu, Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio, and Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines announced that the church was a national shrine for the devotion to Our Lady of the Rule on April 29, 2007 which was highlighted with a pontifical mass was held dedicated to the formal declaration on May 24, 2007.
Architecture
The church facade is contemporary. An overhang greets the laity over a five-rung staircase. The puerta mayor is a wide square doorway. Its awning and the pilasters that flank the entrance door are accented in canary yellow, and so is the decorative molding band that form an arch over the entrance. An inverted pointed arch stained glass window is slung at the center bearing the image of the patron. Pierced windows are also found above the awning. Its pediment is a blank canvas except for a pentagon blind window. The gable rises to an apex bearing the lighted cross. Flanking the entrance are two wall surfaces that are recessed and decremented. In the gospel side is stonewall of similarly stepped roof. In the epistle side is the five-level bell tower with rectilinear windows. The belfry on the uppermost level is decorated is pierced with rectangular windows.
The old Spanish-era church in Opon can still be gleaned through pictures taken in the past. It featured a pediment and an intricate network of cornices and pilasters. At its center is the niche of the patron. The pediment features a pair of finial at both of its ends and at its center is an acroterium topped with a cross.
Celebration
The feast day for Nuestra Señora De Regla is held every November 21st in a celebration that involves a fluvial procession and its festival is called Garbo sa Lapulapu.
Services
The parish office is open every day from 5:00 in the morning until 9:00 in the evening. Confession starts at 4:00 in the afternoon on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Baptism is every 11:00 in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Nuestra Señora Virgen de Regla Parish and National Shrine in Lapulapu City, Cebu from July 7, 2025 to July 13, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Lapulapu City.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:00-5:00 PM (Humay-humay Cemetery)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (FB Live - Votive Mass - Cebuano)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Anticipated Mass - Cebuano)
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (FB Live - English)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 1:30-2:30 PM (FB Live - Filipino)
- 3:00-4:00 PM (Cebuano)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (FB Live - Cebuano)
- 6:00-7:00 PM (Cebuano)
- 7:30-8:30 PM (English)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nuestra Señora Virgen de Regla Parish and National Shrine in Lapulapu City, Cebu |
| Other Names | Virgen de Regla Parish National Shrine, Opon Church, Birhen sa Regla Church |
| Address | B.M. Dimataga St., Poblacion, 6015 Lapu-Lapu City |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (032)-501-9594, 340-9199 |
| nationalshrinedrpns@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1711 |
| Age | 314 years |
| Status | National shrine |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District I - Metro Cebu North |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Nuestra Señora Virgen de Regla |
| Patron | Our Lady of the Rule |
| Feast day | November 21 |
| Religious order | Missionaries of the Sacred Heart |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church in Pusok, Lapulapu City
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish Church in Marigondon, Lapulapu City
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish Church in Babag 1, Lapulapu City
- Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in Pajac, Lapulapu City
- San Roque Church in Cordova, Cebu
- St. Augustine Parish Church in Olango Island, Lapulapu City
- Sto. Niño de Cebu – Mactan Parish Church in Lapulapu City
References
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved July 1, 2022
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on June 1, 2022
- Miller, Lucy Urgello (2010). Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era. University of San Carlos Press. ISBN 971539020X, 9789715390200
- Nuestra Señora Virgen De Regla. Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Cultural & Historical Affairs Commission. September 6, 2020. Retrieved via Facebook on July 1, 2022
- Ruaya, Rhobie Alburo (September 8, 2021). Mama Mary Churches and Shrines in Cebu. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved on July 1, 2022
- Historical churches for semana santa. Philippine Daily Inquirer. April 8, 2017. Retrieved on July 1, 2022
- Ciasico, Francine (November 20, 2019). Devotees in Cebu observe another Marian feast. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved on July 1, 2022
- Contratista, Ferliza C. (April 29, 2007). CBCP DECLARATION Our Lady of the Rule church in Lapu-Lapu is a nat”l shrine. Philippine Star. Retrieved on July 1, 2022
- Baroña, Franco Jose (February 22, 2022). Vatican authorizes coronation of Cebu’s Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio. The Manila Times. July 1, 2022
- Cebu’s Patrocinio de Maria image granted pontifical coronation. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. February 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022
- Bongcac, Doric C. (November 8, 2021). Garbo sa Lapu-Lapu 2021 to go virtual. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved July 21, 2022
- Gabii sa Kabilin Guide: Forging Peoples. Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. May 27, 2016. Retrieved via Issuu on July 8, 2022
- Oaminal, Clarence Paul (November 24, 2017). The Vicariate of Southern Cebu (Part I). The Freeman. Retrieved July 19, 2022