St. Francis of Asisi History

Meycauayan Church Ruins (1949)

The Parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Meycauayan, Bulacan is the oldest parish in Meycauayan and is also its largest parish, with an estimated population of about 80,000 parishioners. It is also the vicarial seat of the vicariate of St. Francis of Assisi in the Diocese of Malolos.

The parish was founded in 1578 by Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Diego de Oropeza, the first batch of Franciscan priests to reach the Philippines (in 1577). They built a small church in a small area called Sitio Torril (which is now part of Barangay Bahay Pare) which was made up of nipa thatch and bamboo.

The Franciscans left a wooden cross when they left the church. The cross was later found to be in the possession of a resident of Barangay Bahay Pari, whose house is near the site of what may be the original parish church and/or the town center. This discovery was made by three members of the parish's Committee on Church Cultural Heritage in the year 2001. The cross is now known as The Cross of Sitio Torril, which is probably the oldest known religious relic in Meycauayan. Presently, this cross is brought from Barangay Bahay Pari to the parish for public veneration on the parish feast day on October 4.
In the 19th century, Philippine churches were secularized. The first native priest to be assigned as Parish Priest in Meyacauayan was Fr. Esteban Daez, a native of Polo, Obando, Bulacan. During World War II, the church survived of destruction unlike those churches in Manila. But in 1949, the church did not survive its destruction from a fire, known as the Great Fire of Meycauayan.

Artifacts such as old memorabilia, statues, church vestments, records, ciboriums and chalices were some of the casualties of the fire. The magnificent retablo in the Colonial style was destroyed. Only a few artifacts including the tabernacle were saved from the fire. The tabernacle, which was saved from destruction by Fr. Jorge Capistrano, is still in use today. After its destruction, the parish priest, Fr. Anselmo De Leon and a committee formed for the reconstruction of the present church campaigned for donations and help from the people to help them build the church.

Today, the church has undergone some major and minor renovation to restore its former magnificent glory. There have been recent efforts to restore and renovate the church.