Imus Cathedral

Establishment In 1616, the Augustinian Recollects arrived in Imus and established a convent. The parish of Imus started as a chapel-of-ease in Brgy. Toclong, a sub-parish (visita) of Cavite Viejo (now Kawit, Cavite). Recollect Father Pedro de San Buenaventura petitioned the government to convert Imus into an independent municipality in 1774. Imus, though, did not become a separate town and parish until October 3, 1795. Its poblacion (town center) and a provisional church was first established in an area currently known as Brgy. Bayan Luma (Tagalog for 'Old Town'). The parish was under the order of the Augustinian Recollects with Francisco de Santiago, O.A.R., its first assigned priest. Hacienda de San Juan de Imus The early fathers were preoccupied with not just religious matters but also of economic concerns. The friars gradually bought parcels of land while some of these lands were donated by rich families. The Recollects were the first ones to buy parcels of land beginning in 1666 and their haciendas came to being in 1812. These areas, comprising the Hacienda de San Juan de Imus or the Hacienda de Imus (Imus Estate), grew to include the whole towns of Imus, Dasmariñas, and Brgy. Binakayan in Kawit. The estate house of the hacienda, or the house of the friars, was located along Imus River (at the present day Cuartel) at the southern end of the Bridge of Isabel II, a Spanish bridge built by the priest-engineers of the Recollects. Citizens of Imus were required to pay rent to live and tilled the lands of Imus. Secularization The Hacienda de Imus was sold by the Recollect Corporation on March 31, 1894, to the Fomento de la Agricultura de Filipinas (Promotion of Agriculture in the Philippines), a corporation in Madrid, for 4,000,000 pesetas. It was later sold to the British Manila Estates Company, which eventually sold it to the U.S. controlled Philippine government for $1,045,000 in U.S. currency for distribution to the Filipinos, to win their favor, and to pacify the revolutionaries. The Church of Imus became secular in 1897. ==Diocese of Imus==

By virtue of the Apostolic Constitution Christi fidelium promulgated by Pope John XXIII on November 25, 1961, Cavite was created a separate bishopric from Manila after more than three hundred years. On April 26, 1962, the Diocese of Imus was formally erected and established. The then parish church of Imus was chosen to become the cathedral of the diocese, the seat of the bishop of Cavite, with the Virgin Mary under her title Our Lady of the Pillar, its titular patroness. The first leader of the diocese and bishop of Cavite is Artemio Casas, originally from Meycauayan, Bulacan. ==Historical marker==

historical marker installed in 2006 The cathedral was declared a structure of historical significance with the placing of a historical marker by then National Historical Institute of the Philippines on November 13, 2006. ==Coronation of the patroness of the Diocese of Imus==

The image of the patroness of the Imus Cathedral, Our Lady of the Pillar of Imus, was canonically crowned on December 3, 2012, by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. It was originally scheduled for November 26 but the elevation of Tagle into a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI necessitated the move. ==Vicariate of Our Lady of the Pillar==

Vicariate of Our Lady of the Pillar (City of Imus) Vicar Forane: Rev Fr. Manuelito Villas Parishes • Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish – Bucandala (Parish Priest: Rev Fr. Honorato N. Naty) • Mary, Mother of God Parish – Malagasang II (Parish Priest: Rev Fr. Melencio Sandoval) • Our Lady of Fatima Parish – Anabu I (Parish Priest: Rev Fr. James Andes) • Our Lady of Fatima Parish – Anabu II (Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Manuelito Villas)(Resident Priests:Rev.Fr. Lorensius Kollo,SDS, Rev. Fr. Teodoro Villañueva) • Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Pillar - Imus Cathedral – Poblacion (City Proper) Rector & Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Reuel Castañeda, Asst. Priests: Rev. Fr.Isagane Al-Os , CRS & Rev Fr. Danny Clamor, TC • St. James the Greater Parish – Buhay na Tubig (Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Antonio Laureta) • St. Martha Parish – Greengate, Malagasang II (Parish Priest: Rev Fr. Benjamin Francisco) • Holy Family Parish – Lancaster Estates ( Rev Fr. Alain Manalo) • ==Our Lady of the Pillar Parish==

Chapels • Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd Chapel (Palico) • Our Lady of the Pillar Chapel (Bayan Luma) • St. Peregrine Chapel (Toclong) • San Roque Chapel (Pag-asa) • San Juan Bautista Chapel (Tanzang Luma) • Our Lady of Fatima Chapel (Villa Leticia) • Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Southern City Subdivision) • San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel (Narra Homes Subdivision) == Activities ==

Ministries • Parish Youth Ministry • Ministry of Altar Servers • Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion • Lay Ministers of the Word • Our Lady of the Pillar Parish Music Ministry • includes: Tinig ng Katedral (est. 1980), Himig Batingaw (est. 1978), etc. • Ministry of Cantors Radio station 89.5 FM frequency is used by the Parish to broadcast Parish activities such as the recitation of the Rosary for the traditional Good Friday procession. Daily Mass, Vigil and Sunday Masses, as well as Masses for holy days of obligation celebrated in the Cathedral are also transmitted live through the same frequency, broadcasting on a very low power output. ==References==