THE HOLY FAMILY CHAPEL

 

A SHORT STORY

 

by

Sr. Ann Rita Centeno

Carlos D. Centeno

Julian D. Centeno, Jr.

 

During the second world war, life in Barrio Anolid (now politically and commonly referred to as “barangay”) was comparatively peaceful.  Our father observed that the people, especially the men, spent long hours doing nothing. 

 

An idea inspired him one day – why not organize the men into a group where they could talk, share their experiences, and pray together?  So, he went around Anolid visiting families to sell his idea.  In time, he was able to gather a big following; in fact, almost all the men in the barrio came to the first meeting held in a vacant lot belonging to my grandparents, mother’s side. Because our father had a special devotion to the Holy Family, he named the group, the Holy Family Society.

 

The first project was to build a small chapel. Coconut trees (“kaniugan”) abound in the area where the first meeting was held and, with the permission of our grandparents, a portion was cleared to give way to a small chapel (“ermita”) made of indigenous materials. In addition, with some connections, our father was able to commission Archbishop Mariano Madriaga to sculpt the Holy Family out of the trunk of a guava tree. Today, the chapel is bigger in size. It too has undergone a lot of renovations through the years. 

 

The first mass was celebrated in this tiny chapel in 1943. It turned out to be a grand affair, because it coincided with the christening of our brother, Raul, who was born during the war. Our mother’s memory of the day was vivid. There was an abundance of food, and the celebration lasted the whole day. She recalled that all the prominent families of Malasiqui went to Barrio Anolid to attend our brother’s baptism. Our mother described it as a festive occasion, something that gave the people a chance to forget about the war momentarily and enjoy themselves.

 

Most of the time, our father expounded on his favorite topics of love of God, right relationships, and other gospel values during his meetings with the Society members. Sunday masses were intermittently celebrated in the chapel. Later, the Holy Family became the patron of Barrio Anolid, which adopted January 9 as its feast day or “fiesta.” It is noteworthy that January 9 is the birthday of our father. 

 

At first, our father oversaw the preparations for the “fiesta.” He organized the people into different committees: liturgy committee, program committee, games committee, prizes committee, beauty contest committee, coronation committee, etc. Later, a set of officers was elected to be responsible for all activities undertaken by the Society. When our father was still alive, he trained a set of officers to be the leaders of the Holy Family Society. They were mainly responsible for the maintenance of the chapel and the holding of the barrio “fiesta.” To this day, most of the tasks have remained unchanged.

 

There were rare instances when baptisms and confirmations were also held during the “fiesta.” At one time, Archbishop Limon of the Lingayen-Dagupan Diocese was its main celebrant.

 

Today, the Holy Family Society, with the permission of the Domantay-Centeno family, has taken the lead in taking care of the chapel and its premises. Regular masses and catechetical work are forthcoming. A stronger Society is anticipated. For as long as the chapel is used for religious purposes aligned with the Catholic Church teachings and property rights are observed, the Domantay-Centeno family will continue to allow its use by the people of Anolid and support related activities.