Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church (Cebuano: Bayawan Church or Bayawan Parish; English: St. Thomas of Villanueva Church) is a Roman Catholic church in Barangay Ubos, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Its patron is St. Thomas of Villanueva.
Table of Contents
History
Spanish colonizers reached Bayawan in 1751 and it was called Tolong Nuevo. It was one territory with Santa Catalina, formerly called Tolong Viejo, in 1868. It finally separated from Santa Catalina to become an independent town by 1872, and it acquired its current name by virtue of Republic Act No. 694 approved on May 9, 1952.
The church became a parish under the administration of the Augustinian Recollects in 1876, four years after the town was established. Fr. Eusebio Baztan was its first parish priest.
An earlier, temporary church existed before it gained parochial status. Another church made of wood and stone was erected by Fr. Angel Maestro between 1882 and 1889, and it was inaugurated on July 25, 1890. It did not survive in 1907.
The Recollects left during the Philippine Revolution in 1898, by which time it was annexed to the Siaton Parish Church. They then returned to Bayawan and resumed their pastoral administration during the American occupation. The present-day church was built in 1925 through the efforts of Fr. Juan Rodriguez, OAR.
The Recollects handed over the parish to the secular clergy in 1961.
Architecture
The portico is embellished by dentil, and it is covered by a gable of three blind arches the middle of which contains a relief of the Blessed Sacrament. Above, the image of the patron can be found. The facade is horizontally divided by pilasters, forming three sections. The central one has a grooved wall with a cross-shaped window embedded with a crucifix.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Thomas of Villanueva is February 18.
Services
The parish office is open from 8:00 to 11:00 in the morning and from 2:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental 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 Bayawan City.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Cebuano)
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Cebuano)
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Cebuano)
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Cebuano)
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Cebuano)
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:00-7:00 PM (Cebuano - Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:30-9:30 AM (English)
- 5:00-6:00 PM (Cebuano)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental |
| Other Names | Bayawan Parish, Bayawan Church, St. Thomas of Villanueva Church |
| Address | Burgos Street, Barangay Ubos, Bayawan, Negros Oriental 6221 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (035) 430 0648 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1876 |
| Age | 149 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1890 |
| Age as parish | 135 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Dumaguete |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Matthew |
| Patron | St. Thomas of Villanueva |
| Feast day | February 18 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1925 |
| Age since completed | 100 years |
Nearby Churches
- San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Basay, Negros Oriental
- St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Kalumboyan, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental
- St. Isidore the Farmer Quasi-Parish Church in Amio, Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental
- St. Lorenzo Ruiz Church in Dawis, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental
- Sto. Niño Quasi-Parish Church in Tayawan, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental
References
- Diocese of Dumaguete. Retrieved December 2, 2023
- Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. (December 31, 2020). Augustinian Recollect Legacy to the Church in Negros Island. Philippine Social Science Journal. Retrieved December 2, 2023
- History of Bayawan. City Government of Bayawan. Retrieved December 3, 2023
- Republic Act No. 694. Chan Robles Law Virtual Library. Retrieved December 3, 2023
- St. Thomas of Villanueva Parish Church. MyGuide PH. January 27, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2023