John Rey Raqueno

BSN – II

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

When the Augustinians were busy with the Christianization of the Ilocos
Region, a group of missionaries sailed westward through the river known as "El
Mestizo" to the place now called Santa Catalina. They were also looking for fresh
water, since the area where he landed yielded only salty water. When they finally
found a fresh water spring up north, and were busy quenching their thirst, some of
them saw an image of a beautiful lady near the place where he drank, which
disappeared after a few minutes. One of them recognized the image as that of Saint
Catherine of Alexandria. The Augustinians returned to Villa Fernandina (Vigan) and
reported this matter to their superiors. This resulted in the construction of a church in
the town with Saint Catherine of Alexandria as the patron saint. It was also declared
that Santa Catalina be the name of the town. A replica of the cross once planted by
Salcedo and his party—to signify that the Spanish has conquered the area—stands
near the entrance to the municipality.
The different devotions of Saint Catherine of Alexandria parish are the following:

First is mass in every barangay we celebrate mass to thank God for his sacrifices that
he has done for us and through mass we actually show that god is always part of our
lives, how important he is. Especially this is the time that we should give to him.

Second, we also celebrate procession of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. This is done to

commemorate martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

Lastly, the station of the cross. The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic
devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14
devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His
condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual
moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on
a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual
moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.