San Bartolome de Catbalogan - The Patron and Patriarch of Catbalogan, Samar

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San Bartolome de Catbalogan
In the historic city of Catbalogan, the Capital of Samar Province, one can see that the city is known as Samar province's main commercial, trading, educational, financial and political center.

The city is also known as its religious center for it is in this city where three key churches can be visited, the Parish and Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Ubanon, the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes and the Parish of San Bartolome where San Bartolome is known as the Patron of Catbalogan City.

 The image

 The venerable image of San Bartolome de Catbalogan is a de tallado image of the saint that is currently enshrined at the main altar. The image depicts San Bartolome standing on a demon in allusion to the tradition of his exorcism activities (hence, he is also known as Patron saint of exorcists) with a book symbolizing his mission to spread the Gospel in Asia and a flaying knife ,which is diagnostic to his iconography, which alludes to his martyrdom where it is believed that he was flayed alive. His left hand was extended as if he is calling the viewer's attention to listen to what he will say.

St. Bartholomew
The Life of St. Bartholomew the Apostle

 In the New Testament, St. Bartholomew is mentioned only in the lists of the apostles. Some scholars identify him with Nathaniel, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him” (John 1:47b). When Nathaniel asked how Jesus knew him, Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree” (John 1:48b). Whatever amazing revelation this involved, it brought Nathaniel to exclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49b). But Jesus countered with, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this” (John 1:50b).

Nathaniel did see greater things. He was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (see John 21:1-14). They had been fishing all night without success. In the morning, they saw someone standing on the shore though no one knew it was Jesus. He told them to cast their net again, and they made so great a catch that they could not haul the net in. Then John cried out to Peter, “It is the Lord.”

The Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew
When they brought the boat to shore, they found a fire burning, with some fish laid on it and some bread. Jesus asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught, and invited them to come and eat their meal.

John relates that although they knew it was Jesus, none of the apostles presumed to inquire who he was. This, John notes, was the third time Jesus appeared to the apostles.


The Roman Martyrology says that after Jesus's Ascension, he preached in India and Greater Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages. Tradition has the place as Abanopolis on the west coast of the Caspian Sea and that he also preached in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Egypt.
The processional image of San Bartolome de Catbalogan
The arrival of the devotion in Catbalogan

The arrival of the devotion and image of San Bartolome in Catbalogan can be traced as early as 1616 when the Jesuits made it a pueblo and introduced St. Bartholomew as Patron Saint and there were records that can attest that his feast is already celebrated in the city. San Bartolome Apostol was appropriately chosen by the Jesuits as an ideal patron of Catbalogan for being a fishing village and town of fisher folks since San Bartolome by the name Nathaniel happened also a fisherman in Galilee before joining the Apostolic Circle of Our Lord.

When the Jesuits were expelled in 1768, it was the Franciscans took over the evangelical ministry including the devotion to San Bartolome Apostol. The Franciscans also propagated other devotions and religious celebrations especially those Spanish Franciscans who were came from the rich cultural towns of Toledo, Sevilla, Malaga, Valencia, Andalusia, might have taught the Catbaloganons to celebrate the town fiesta with much gaiety and festivity.

St. Bartholomew Parish, Catbalogan City, Samar
The Parish

The Parish of San Bartolome in Catbalogan City is one of the oldest parishes in the region, having been established in 1616 by the Jesuit missionaries both as a Mission Center and a Residencia of the Jesuit Mission. The Jesuit missionaries first evangelized in the settlement called Katbalaugan in 1596. When their Residencia and Mission Center in Tinago (in Tarangnan) was burned down by Moro pirates in 1616, they decided to transfer to the village of Katbalaugan. The Jesuits built a church of stone under the invocation of St. Bartolome the Apostle.

In 1768, the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish territories including the Philippines. The Jesuit missionaries assembled in Catbalogan for their journey back to Spain. On October 17, 1768, 13 Franciscans arrived in Catbalogan to take over the administration of the parishes in Samar Island. A fire had destroyed the stone church of Catbalogan between 1760 to 1761, The reconstruction began in 1814 and was completed in 1865. The parish became an important landmark in the city of Catbalogan for this church became a silent witness to the history of the city and the province of Samar.

In January 1900, during the Philippine-American War, Athe merican occupationary forces arrived in Catbalogan. They occupied the church from December 17, 1901 to February 1, 1902. Afterwards, the belfry and some parts of the church were burned and the was also some looting. Church authorities placed a claim of $24,610 as war damage to the church.

The processional image of San Bartolome de Catbalogan
In 1952, Fr. Maximiano T. Cruz, then the parish priest, renovated the decaying façade of the church and transferred the belfry from the western to the eastern side of the church. He also renovated the already dilapidated convent. The same church the Franciscans had rebuilt, already 155 years old, was burned in the fire of 1969 that gutted Catbalogan yet it was rebuilt a few years later that can be seen up to the present.

The devotion

The feat of San Bartolome is celebrated every August 24th and it is celebrated with much pomp, solemnity and extravagance that one will see the city in a very festive mood. Catbaloganon fisher folks were grateful to this glorious saint who continued to serve as their perennial protector and intercessor who keeps the bounty of the fresh catch alive in the glory of the seas of Maqueda. The fiesta is celebrated with similar manner with a greater solemnity and extravagance. The celebrations always pushes through despite some unfortunate events, natural or otherwise, for their devotion to San Bartolome was deeply rooted to fabric of life of the people of Catbalogan.

References:

"The Catbalogan Fiesta", Retrieved from https://sanbartolome2013.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/the-catbalogan-fiesta/ on August 23, 2019, 2013.
Nabong-Cabardo, Charo, "The Parish of St. Bartholomew", Labor Evangelica: History of the Parishes of the Diocese of Calbayog, Samar, 2011
Uy, Manuelito, "Pagtan-aw han nakalabay: Fiesta Historical notes", Unpublished manuscript, 2019.

Special thanks to Mr. Manuelito Uy for providing photgraphs and documents regarding the history of the devotion to San Bartolome de Catbalogan.
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