Catarman Cathedral, also known as Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral Parish, is a Roman Catholic, Marian church and the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Catarman. It is located in Catarman, Northern Samar, Philippines.
Founded by the Jesuits in the 17th century, it became a cathedral through a papal bull issued by Pope Paul VI on December 5, 1974.
Table of Contents
History
According to the historical marker of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, Catarman was one of the visita of Palapag in 1596. The marker installed by the National Historical Institute at the Palapag Parish however stated that Palapag was erected as a mission station only in 1605. Another source mentioned that Catarman began as a visita of Catubig (a mission station started in 1597 but later abandoned in 1598, and then revitalized in 1601) and then later of Palapag.
An early church made of humble building materials was burned during the local revolt led by Agustin Sumoroy in 1649. The year 1649 also appears in the official logo of the cathedral’s Facebook account.
Between 1696 and 1768, the Jesuits assigned a priest there who also served in Bobon. When the Jesuits left in 1768, it was taken care of by the Franciscans with Fr. Nicolas Antonio de Herrera as the first Franciscan parish priest.
By the 19th century, its church remained to be made of wood according to various reports from the period. On December 8, 1851, a strong typhoon hit Catarman that caused havoc to the town and destroyed the church. A petition was raised for a more permanent church to be built, and it was approved in July 1852.
During the Philippine Revolution, the Franciscans left until a secular priest was assigned in 1900. The Franciscans resumed their work in the parish in 1902 until they were replaced by the diocesan clergy beginning in 1941.
Pope Paul VI elevated the church into a cathedral upon the creation of Diocese of Catarman through the papal bull Quae Ampliores Exspectantur on December 5, 1974. Most Reverend Angel T. Hobayan was appointed by the pope as the first bishop a week later. On March 11, 1975, he officially assumed the role as bishop in a declaration read by the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani.
Architecture
The grand expanse of the church’s facade consists of a sparsely decorated gospel-side wall, the elaborate entrance, and a stout, quadrangular bell tower in the epistle side. The wall is pierced with round windows and decorated with pilasters of Corinthian capitals and dentil.
The main entrance bears the words, “Porta Sancta” (Holy Door), and it is flanked with fluted columns on plinths. Atop of it is gablet with high relief image of the Annunciation: an angel kneeling before the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is shaded by a portico and flanked arch, side entrances with lunettes and corbels.
Celebration
The feast day of Our Lady of the Annunciation is August 29.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Catarman Cathedral from June 30, 2025 to July 6, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Catarman.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 12:00-1:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 7:00-8:00 AM (FB Livestream)
- 9:00-10:00 AM
- 10:30-11:30 AM (Children's Mass)
- 4:30-5:30 PM
- 7:00-8:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Catarman Cathedral |
| Address | Osmeña Street, Catarman, Northern Samar 6400 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (055) 354-8475 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1649 |
| Age | 376 years |
| Status | Parish, Cathedral |
| Declared as cathedral | December 5, 1974 |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Catarman |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Joseph |
| Feast day | Our Lady of the Annunciation |
Nearby Churches
- Diocesan Shrine of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno – Saint Rock the Healer Church in Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar
- Most Holy Name of Jesus Church in Bobon, Northern Samar
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Rosario, Northern Samar
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help Mission Center in Dalakit, Catarman, Northern Samar
- St. Anthony of Padua Church in Mondragon, Northern Samar
- St. Anthony of Padua Church in San Jose, Northern Samar
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar
- St. Joseph Husband of Mary Mission Center in Polangi, Catarman, Northern Samar
- University Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal in Catarman, Northern Samar
References
- De la Costa, Horacio. The Jesuits in the Philippines: 1581-1959, Harvard University Press, 1961. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- Diocese of Catarman. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- The Province of Northern Samar and the Diocese of Catarman jointly unveiled the historical marker of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Catarman. National Commission for Culture and the Arts. September 24, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros. Catarman Diocese (N. Samar) to mark its Ruby Jubilee year. The Philippine Star. February 21, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- Manuelito Uy. Catarman: Northern Samar’s Seat of the Catholic Faith. Academia. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- Diocese of Catarman. Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- LUMANG SIMBAHAN NG PALAPAG. National Registry of Historic Sites and Structures in the Philippines. November 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2024
- The Nine Jubilee Churches and the Brief history of the Diocese of Catarman on the Celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. Nuestra Señora de Salvacion Historical and Ecclesiastical Museum. August 19, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2024