OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR PARISH (LAS PIÑAS CITY)

Almanza to gratify their spiritual needs. A group of homeowners later on asked permission from the then Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Ted Buhain (now Bishop Buhain) to celebrate the Eucharist at the private homes of Pilar Village residents. Buhain and other guest priests were invited to preside at these Eucharistic celebrations. The community grew in number and it was felt that a multi-purpose pavilion must be built to accommodate more church goers. Pilar Development Corporation designed an area comprising 5,186 square meters or less for the perpetual use of the church. Construction of the Pavilion was undertaken and it became the center of social gatherings and spiritual celebrations. Eventually, the Pavilion was converted into a chapel and anticipated masses were celebrated regularly. At that time, the Holy Family Parish was part of the Pasay-Paranaque-Las Pinas-Muntinlupa District of the Archdiocese of Manila and then Most Rev. Gabriel Reyes was the Auxiliary Bishop of Manila. He designated Rev. Angelo Hordista to preside regularly at masses celebrated in the Pavilion. Together with a group of dedicated residents, Fr. Hordista saw the need to build a real church to cater to the spiritual needs of the community. They then conceptualized the project “Operation Dream Church”. The technical people of Pilar Village (engineers, architects, contractors, etc.,) along with Pilar residents together and before long, the Dream Church was no longer a dream – it became a reality. It stood tall and majestic, beckoning to all to come and worship. Thus, the Sub-Parish of Our Lady of the Pillar was born under the aegis of its mother parish – the Holy Family Parish. Three years after being a Sub-parish, the homeowners felt that the Sub-Parish was ripe and ready to become a full-fledged Parish. Again, a dedicated group of homeowners hounded the office of Jaime Cardinal Sin, D.D., of fond memory, to convert the sub-parish to a full-fledged parish. On 7 November 1986, during an audience with the Cardinal, the persistent homeowners obtained his approval for the establishment of the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish. On 11 November 1986, the Decree for the Establishment of the new parish of Our Lady of the Pillar was issued by the good Cardinal. On December 1 of the same year, the decree for the Establishment of the Parish was implemented and Rev. Victor Allan B. Dichoso was installed as the first Parish Priest by His Eminence, Jaime Cardinal Sin, D.D. His Eminence also presided over the blessing and laying of the cornerstone of the Parish convent. The blessing of the Parish rectory took place on the first anniversary of the establishment of our Parish. The Solemn Dedication of the Parish church under the title of Our Lady of the Pillar took place on 30 November 1988, the second anniversary of the Parish. At the same time His Eminence also officiated at the cornerstone laying of the Scroll for the proposed multi-purpose building within the Parish complex. The blessing of the Repositories for the Eucharist (Tabernacle) and the Word of God took place on our third anniversary. On our fourth anniversary, His Most Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Manila inaugurated the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Rev. Allan established and organized most of the existing Ministries, Organizations and movements. On 20 January 1991, Fr. Allan was transferred to Banak Na Sakramento Parish in Novaliches, Quezon City and Rev. Nestor Gungon was installed by His Eminence on 25 January 1991 as Fr. Allan’s successor. Nestie initiated the first Mass Wedding in the Parish. He also undertook the construction of the following physical structure in the Parish, namely: the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar which was installed in front of the church; parish park and stage; renovation of the sanctuary and sacristy; and installation of new Stations of the Cross. On 15 January 1997, Fr. Nestie was transferred to San Gabriel Parish in Caloocan City. He was a down-to-earth person and friendly to most of his parishioners. Many parishioners were teary-eyed on his departure. Francisco Bagadiong was installed as his successor on 26 January 1997. Francisco Bagadiong belonged to the old school of thought. Every Good Friday, during the Communion Service, he asked the forgiveness of the parishioners for whatever shortcomings he may have. This display of humility earned him the respect of the parishioners. He would hear confessions almost every day. On 18 June 2001, he was transferred to Christ the King Parish in Green Meadows in Quezon City. Msgr. Albert was appointed as our Parish Priest on 7 June 2001 and was installed on 7 July 2001. Upon assuming his duties, he indicated that one of his priorities is the formulation of a Vision-Mission Statement. He contracted the Institute of Pastoral Development who conducted a workshop among servant leaders. The Vision-Mission Statement was presented to His Eminence, Jaimes Cardinal Sin on 7 October 2001. Albert also initiated the conversion of the pavilion into the Formation Center, refurbished the altar, constructed the St. Joseph Chapel, and purchased a multi-cab for the use of the Parish. He also introduced several religious innovations like:
- The Singles Encounter for the youth, and eventually the formation of the Young Adults Ministry.
- An intensified support for the Parish Renewal Experience (PREX) by requiring servant leaders and members of ministries, organization and movements, PPC officers to attend PREX.
- The Parish Pentecost Experience, a follow-up formation to PREX.
- Institutionalizing the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) Parish-wide, involving three housing subdivisions and the extended communities. He also initiated the renovation and expansion of the parish church before taking on his next assignment as Parish Priest of St. Joseph Parish (Bamboo Organ) in Las Pinas City. Gregory H. Ramos assumed his duties as our Parish Priest on 1 June 2004. He continued the renovation and expansion of the church began by Msgr. Albert. His academic background (having graduated from the Philippine Military Academy) served him in good stead and was in full control during the difficult stages of the construction project. To support the construction activities, several fund-raising efforts were undertaken and projected targets were met. A Parish Consultation was conducted in the parish and four sectors emerged as requiring immediate attention. The results of the Consultation were collated at the Vicariate level and brought the Diocesan Pastoral Assembly (DPA) held on 24-26 February 2006 at the Bamboo Organ Parish. Following the DPA, the parishes and vicariates within the Diocese started implementing DPA recommendations, The Parish was DPA-aligned and the six priority commissions in the Parish were established, namely:
1. Basic Ecclesial Community
2. Commission on Services for Human Promotion
3. Education and Formation Commission (now known as Commission on Catechesis and Religious Education)
4. Commission on the Family
5. Commission on Youth
6. Commission on Liturgy and Popular Religiosity
A seventh commission was added to our portfolio: Commission on the Laity. The Parish then held a Parish Pastoral Assembly (PPA) on 31 May 2008 attended by more than 600 parishioners. Ministries, Mandated Organizations and Renewal Groups aligned themselves to the six priority commissions. Parish program and activities are varied and many. Each commission has its own calendar of activities for every year. All commissions are, however, involved in the fixed annual major activities: Lent and Easter, Parish Fiesta and Advent and Christmas. The Parish Priests who have served in Our Lady of the Pillar Parish are:
1. Dichoso 30 Novermber 1986 – 19 January 1991
2. Nestor M. Gungon 25 January 1991 – 15 January 1997
3. Francisco G. Bagadiong 26 January 1997 – 18 June 2001
4. Albert A. Venus 7 June 2001 – 31 May 2004
5. Ramos 1 June 2004 – 30 June 2011
6. Armando A. Villarruz 1 July 2011-June 30, 2017
7. Gerard Vicente B. Mascariña July 1, 2017 - February 11, 2024

Monsi Boy, as he prefers to be addressed informally, has been with the parish for eight months. Thus far, he has renovated the sanctuary flooring and reorganized the Parish Pastoral Council structure. We will be implementing the New English Translation of the Roman Missal in December 2012 and as early as of now, a series of lectures to catechize our servant leaders have been held. More programs and projects are in the drawing boards and we hope to see the bigger picture in the ensuing months.