The National Shrine of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic Church located in the highly urbanized city of Mandaue in Cebu, Philippines. Under the advocation of St. Joseph the Patriarch, it is also called Mandaue Church.
Table of Contents
History
Mandaue was mentioned in the chronicle written by Antonio Pigafetta, Venetian scholar who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition, as “Mandani”, one of the villages of Zubu (Cebu). It was led by a chieftain called Apanoaan.
The Jesuits purchased a land in Mandaue and established Colegio de San Ildefonso, one of the earliest schools founded by European colonizers in Asia, in 1595. Its founders were Fr. Antonio Sedeño, Fr. Pedro Chirino, and Antonio Periera. Additionally, they created a mission station in Mandaue in 1599 and erected a church as early as 1601. Eventually, Mandaue was organized into a town and the church was elevated into a parish in 1638.
The church may have been administered by the priests from the school for many decades. The Jesuits, however, were expelled from the colony in 1768 and they were replaced by the Augustinian Recollects who remained until the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in 1898.
An earthquake occurred in 1922 that damaged the church and it was rebuilt to address the damages wrought by the war in 1950.
On August 6, 2001, it became a national shrine.
On August 8, 2021 the image of St. Joseph was granted episcopal coronation. The ivory statue is considered the oldest of the patron in the country and was carved in the 17th century.
Architecture
A concrete overhang supported by paired pilasters flanking on both sides of the main doorway serves as a shade over the forecourt and leads to the interior of the church. It covers a shallow staircase whose landing functions as a sort of an open portico to welcome the laity towards a wide, rectilinear entrance.
The church’s exterior wall is an interplay of foregrounded and recessed features as well as a juxtaposition of sharp angles and sinuous lines. The twin pilasters on each side of the entrance rise from the ground where they are conjoined into an arch above and blend into the rest of an elevated pediment.
In the center of the facade is a huge blind arch pierced with a budded cross of stained glass window flanked by two arched windows. The gable is a series of incrementally elevated surfaces crowned by a lighted cross.
Two quadrangular bell towers are erected on either sides of the facade. They are made of fluted concrete simple pilasters flanking a door and coat of arms in the ground level and rectangular window of square glass patchwork in the upper level.
On the bell tower in the gospel side are the words in channel letters, “The National Shrine of St. Joseph,” bounded by square bas relief below and quatrefoil decors above, ornamented borders that can be found in the other tower. The belfry is octagonal, have arch openings on all sides, and is capped with a small dome.
Celebration
The feast of St. Joseph the Patriarch is held every May 8th in a celebration called Mantawi Festival.
Services
The parish office is open from 9:00 in the morning until noon and from 1:30 until 5:00 in the afternoon on Mondays and Fridays. For the rest the rest of the days of the week, it is opened half an hour earlier at 8:30 in the morning.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of The National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City, Cebu 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 Mandaue City.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (English)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (English - FB Live)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (English)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (English - FB Live)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (English)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (English - FB Live)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (English)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (English - FB Live)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (English)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (English - FB Live)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 AM (English)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (English - FB Live)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano - FB Live - Anticipated Mass)
- 6:30-7:30 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:45-7:45 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (Cebuano - FB Live)
- 9:30-10:30 AM (English)
- 11:00-12:00 NN (English)
- 12:15-1:15 PM (Cebuano - Funeral Blessing)
- 1:30-2:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 2:45-3:45 PM (English - FB Live)
- 4:00-5:00 PM (Cebuano)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Cebuano)
- 7:00-8:00 PM (English)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | The National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City, Cebu |
| Other Names | Mandaue Church |
| Address | Sotero B. Cabahug St., Barangay Centro, Mandaue City, Philippines |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (032) 344 3354 |
| nssjmandauecity@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1599 |
| Age | 426 years |
| Status | National Shrine, Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1638 |
| Age as parish | 387 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District VII – Near North Cebu |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Joseph |
| Feast day | May 8 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Neo Graeco-Roman, Baroque |
Nearby Churches
- Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Mandaue, Cebu
- Catholic Church of Christ of Agony Gethsemane Parish Church in Casuntingan, Mandaue City
- Christ the King Parish Church in Alang-alang, Mandaue City
- Holy Family Parish Church in Maguikay, Mandaue City
- Nativity of Mary Parish Church in Canduman, Mandaue City
- San Roque Parish Church in Subangdaku, Mandaue City
- Sto. Niño Parish Church in Paknaan, Mandaue City
References
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved July 3, 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 July 3, 2022
- Panganiban, Kendrick Ivan B., CBPC News (July 18, 2021). PHL’s oldest St. Joseph image to be granted episcopal coronation. Business Mirror. July 3, 2022
- Patinio, Ferdinand (July 13, 2021). Coronation of St. Joseph ‘oldest venerated image’ set Aug. 8. Philippine News Agency. July 3, 2022
- Mandaue celebrates 382nd fiesta virtually. Sunstar. May 08, 2020. July 3, 2022
- Gabii sa Kabilin Guide: Forging Peoples. Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. May 27, 2016. Retrieved via Issuu on July 3, 2022
- Pigafetta, Antonio. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522. Translator James Alexander Robertson. Project Gutenberg, June 5, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- Quilatan, Fray Emil OAR. (August 16, 2018). The Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines: From Birth to Bohol. Agustinos Recoletos. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- Modequillo, Archie (January 11, 2015). A look into Mandaue. The Freeman. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- Cullinane, Michael (2016). A Time Between Times: Situating the 1815 Uprising in Cebu. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society , Vol. 44, No. 3/4 (2016), pp. 211-300. University of San Carlos Publications. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- Ruaya, Rhobie Alburo (April 10, 2020). These historical Cebu churches stay remarkable over time. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- Barlaan, Michaed Dax (April 8, 2006). Mantawi Festival. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- Dagooc, Ehda M (April 3, 2006). Mantawi festival seen to draw international attention. The Freeman. Retrieved July 3, 2022
- USC History. University of San Carlos. Retrieved December 23, 2023