Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Cebu Displays a New Façade

CEBU CITY -Dating its roots in the Province of Cebu as early as June 1621, the Parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel – Recoletos has been one of the pillars of Christian faith in the province. The parish, canonically established on January 1, 1971, centralized the devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from the rest of the province.

The church is physically attached to the main architecture of the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R), which, by association, led the non-parishioners to name it as St. Joseph’s Church. The non-association of the church to the patroness continued long enough up to the present.

Together with the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), the present Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Joseph Granada, OAR, planned to install a large image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at the anterior part of the church. The image will serve as a landmark and a patronal identification of the parish. The project also includes the installation of a large Clock.

On February 28 this year, the parish held a fundraising activity by means of a raffle draw. From the amount raised, the project was realized through the procurement of the image of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The image, 12 feet by 12 feet in dimension and costing P320-K, was installed at the church’s façade on July 30, 2016.

On November 2016, a Php 2-M large clock is expected to be installed in the church edifice.

The Recollects’ mission of attending to the spiritual needs of their parishioners continues with the Lord’s guidance and the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The support of the parishioners and the devotees of the Blessed Mother will invite more faith-oriented projects for the growth and development of the local church.

by: Ian Rey Pableo

President-Parish Pastoral Council