St. Joseph Church is a 20th-century Roman Catholic church located in General MacArthur, Eastern Samar, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
The church began under the spiritual administration of the Franciscans from parish of Hernani that assigned a priest to serve the religious needs of the faithful beginning in 1919. Beginning in 1940, a secular priest was assigned to the community.
The town was organized by virtue of Republic Act No. 193 on June 22, 1947. It was formerly known as Pambujan Sur, which is also designated as the seat of the government by the law, and renamed after General Douglas MacArthur. Its jurisdiction included the villages formerly of the municipality of Hernani: Pambujan Sur, Calutan, San Isidro, Vigan, Binalay, Camcueves, Domrog and Pingan.
It became a parish on November 30, 1948. An early church was burned at the hands of American colonizers, so church-building commenced in 1951.
Interestingly, the church celebrated 136th fiesta celebration in 2016, placing its inaugural religious feast in 1880.
Architecture
The church is erected in front of the town plaza. Its facade incorporates some neoclassical elements such as columns with Corinthian capitals, arches, dentil, and finials. A shallow arch overhang serves as the roof of the portico, and it spells the name of the parish. Upon the lunette of the main doorway is the Latin phrase, “Haec Est Domus Domini Firmiter Aedificata” (This is the house of the Lord firmly built). It is flanked with side entrances with lunette and oculi.
The level above the entrance is an angel holding up a scroll of the same Latin text. The pediment is pierced with three compound pointed arches above which is the niche of the patron, and embellished with blind rose windows and scrolls rendered in high relief. The bell tower is modern that is supported by three posts and topped with a cross.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Joseph is August 27.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Joseph Church in General MacArthur, Eastern Samar 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 General MacArthur.
Monday
- No mass schedule found.
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- No mass schedule found.
Thursday
- No mass schedule found.
Friday
- No mass schedule found.
Saturday
- No mass schedule found.
Sunday
- No mass schedule found.
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Joseph Church in General MacArthur, Eastern Samar |
| Address | General MacArthur, Eastern Samar 6805 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1880 |
| Age | 145 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | November 30, 1948 |
| Age as parish | 77 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Borongan |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Joseph |
| Patron | St. Joseph |
| Feast day | August 27 |
| Architecture | |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of Seven Dolors Church in Hernani, Eastern Samar
- San Bonaventura Church in Balangkayan, Eastern Samar
- St. Anthony of Padua Church in Llorente, Eastern Samar
References
- Parishes. Diocese of Borongan. Retrieved May 17, 2024
- REPUBLIC ACT NO. 193, June 22, 1947. Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library. Retrieved May 17, 2024