Lacea, Mary Faith Mr. Victorio Enad, Jr.

Reed 3 10-11

The Origin of the Augustinian Recollects

Although they first set foot in the island of Cebu in 1606, the Recollects built their
first priory in 1606 at Bagumbayan outside the walls of the present-day Intramuros in
Manila. The house is still preserved by the national government today, although it is in
an uninhabitable state.

San Nicolas de Tolentino

Three years later, they founded another house within the walls which became their
Provincial House until the end of World War II. In 1616 they also founded a house in
Cavite and went back to Cebu in 1621 to found yet another one. In the same year, they
also began constructing the order's most prominent sanctuary in history, the Minor
Basilica of San Sebastian. This church is what they so called as the Bakal na
Simbahan
The Bamboo organ by Fray Diego Cera

Bamboo Organ, which is considered a Philippine National Treasure. On November 24,

2003, it was given this recognition by the National Museum of the Philippines since it is
the only 19th century Bamboo Organ in the Philippines that has survived and is still
functioning. This unique musical instrument is composed of 1,031 pipes, and 902 of
which are made out of bamboo while the rest are metal.
A Dose of History
The man behind this masterpiece was a Spanish missionary called Fray Diego Cera
Dela Virgen Del Carmel, who was in fact, the first parish priest in Las Pias during the
Spanish era. He came from the town of Graus (Huesca, Spain), but he settled in this
part of the Philippines from 1795 to 1830.
Fr. Diego Cera started with the construction of the bamboo organ in 1816 and it was
finished eight years after in 1824. It has gone through a lot since then.

]
Sugarcane by Fr. Fernando Cuenca

The promoter of progress in Negros, introduced hydraulic power in the sugar industry.

He further applied hydrotherapeutic treatment in his convent-cum-hospital in Talisay

(Negros Occidental) to ill-stricken poor and rich alike from Negros, Iloilo and Manila, and
confreres including Saint Ezekiel Moreno (1848-1906) who suffered from anemia after
having being stricken with malaria in Palawan.

Manila Paper by Fr. Mariano Gutierrez de los Dolores

Saint Ezekiel Moreno, bishop
August 19
St. Ezekiel was born in Alfaro, Spain, on April 9,
1848. He joined the Recollect Congregation of the
Order in Monteagudo (Navarra) in 1864, and
professed vows on September 22, 1865. He was
sent to the Philippines where was ordained in 1871
and where he labored for 15 years. He then returned
to Spain to serve as prior in Monteagudo for three
years, after which he gave all of his energy to various
forms of ministry in Colombia, South America, until
shortly before his death. He was a leader in the
restoration of the Recollect Province of La
Candelaria in Colombia, Vicar Apostolic of Casanare,
and in 1899 became bishop of Pasto. His life as
bishop was not easy due to the horrors of a cruel civil
war, a period of rising anticlericalism, and
persecution of the Church. Nevertheless, through his
simple spirit of openness and rigorous defense of the
rights of the Church, he showed himself a faithful
pastor whose concern was the well-being of the
Church entrusted to his care. Struck by cancer he
returned to Spain at the insistence of his priests in
order to receive treatment, and died there at
Monteagudo on August 19, 1906 at the age of 58. He
was beatified in 1975 and canonized in the
Dominican Republic by John Paul II in 1992 at the
close of the 5th Century Celebration of the
Evangelization of Latin America.
"Saint Ezekiel Moreno, by his life and
The Recollects established their very first convent in Cebu located particularly at Ermita
in 1621 the La Concepcion Colegio de San Jose started its first academic year in
1947. The school was granted approval by the higher education the University status in
1984.