Our Lady of Providence Church is a Roman Catholic, Marian church located in Maria, a southeastern town in the province of Siquijor, Philippines. It is also known as Maria Church and Nuestra Señora de la Providencia Church.
Table of Contents
History
The town of Maria was called Kaminya, alternatively spelled Camiña or Cangmeniac, before the Spaniards came to colonize the Philippines. Meanwhile, Our Lady of Providence Church was part of the Parish of Saint Vincent Ferrer in Larena. It became a parish on August 6, 1880 under the advocacy of Our Lady of Providence, and it was administered by the Augustinian Recollects.
A chapel dedicated to St. Rita of Cascia, also known as Santa Rita de Siquijor, had existed prior to the declaration of the parish and even before the establishment of the town. It was founded in 1859 by Fr. Timoteo Gonzalo who was the parish priest of Larena, and his Recollect successors constructed the present-day church. An image of St. Rita is installed in one of the altars.
Architecture
The colors and the modern appearance of the portico may strike a surprising note when one takes into account the age-old stone wall in the church’s facade. On the portico’s pediment are the channel letters, “Maria Siquijor”. One can access the interior through a large double door that also functions as a paired Dutch doors as bottom panels can be unlatched to let people in without having to fling the entire doorway open. On them are the ten commandments, while the upper register contain the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the gospel side and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the epistle side. Four pilasters are found in the facade, two of them flanking the entrance and the outermost two culminating in four-sided pyramidal pinnacles. A single cornice line traverses across the facade, giving way to a pediment emblazoned with the name of the parish. The bell tower stands in the gospel flank.
Celebration
The feast of Our Lady of Providence is held every May 24th in a town-wide celebration called Lubi Festival.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Our Lady of Providence Church in Maria, Siquijor 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 Maria.
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 | Our Lady of Providence Church in Maria, Siquijor |
| Address | Poblacion, Maria, 6229 Siquijor |
| Country | Philippines |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1859 |
| Age | 166 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Dumaguete |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Paul |
| Patron | Our Lady of Providence |
| Feast day | May 24 |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor
- San Agustin Church in San Juan, Siquijor
- San Isidro Labrador Church in Lazi, Siquijor
- San Vicente Ferrer Church in Larena, Siquijor
- Santa Barbara Church in Campalanas, Lazi, Siquijor
- St. Francis of Assisi Church in Siquijor, Siquijor
References
- Cuesta, A. M. (2020). Augustinian Recollect History of Siquijor (1794-1898). Philippine Social Science Journal, 2(2), 173-178. https://doi.org/10.52006/main.v2i2.87. Retrieved July 15, 2022
- Countryside in Figures 2021: Siquijor. Siquijor Provincial Statistical Office: Philippine Statistics Authority, Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved July 16, 2022
- Sembrano, Edgar Allan M. (November 14, 2016). Siquijor’s healing sights: Churches made of ancient ‘tabique pampango’. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 16, 2022
- Siquijor Island. Panublion. Ateneo de Manila University. Retrieved via Archive.org on July 15, 2022