BRIEF HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SANTISIMO ROSARIO PARISH

U.S.T., MANILA

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The parish of Santisimo Rosario, while only of recent origin, has chalked
up an impressive record worthy of preserving for posterity. The following facts
and events will provide us glimpses of its colourful history and give us an
insight of the thrust the parish is taking towards securing its rightful place
among the most progressive parishes of the country.

Created during the turbulent years of the Japanese occupation when there
was a dire need for the spiritual, moral, and material upliftment of the
community, the parish became the shining beacon for the then estimated 30,000
souls of whom 25,400 were reportedly Catholics.

Before the Church became a parish Church, it used to be the University

Chapel of the University of Santo Tomas serving the spiritual needs of the
students and all the people residing near the university campus.

The blessing and laying of the corner stone of the building that was to
house the Community of the Dominican Fathers, the Ecclesiastical Faculties and
the University Chapel took place on November 13, 1932.

After a year, the marble main altar, donated by President Manuel L. Quezon
and family, was consecrated by Msgr. Finnemann, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila on
October 7, 1933, the feast of the Most Holy Rosary. Then, on November 12, 1933,
the chapel building was blessed by Msgr. Miguel ODogherty, Archbishop of
Manila.

On March 21, 1942, Msgr. Miguel ODogherty, the Archbishop of Manila,

issued the decree establishing the Parish of Santisimo Rosario, in honor of the
Dominican devotion to the Blessed Virgin, united pleno jure as a parish under
the religious community of the Dominican Order in University of Santo Tomas.
Desirous of serving the parishioners, the Dominican Community and University
officials graciously acceded to the Archbishops request, thereby making the
former University of Santo Tomas chapel the Parish Church of the Santisimo
Rosario Parish. Thus, the church assumed a dual personality. It is the UST
Chapel which takes care of the spiritual needs of the University population
which takes care of the spiritual needs of the University population and where
official religious and academic functions of the University are held. At the
same time, it is the church where the parishioners of Santisimo Rosario held
its pastoral religious activities.

The parish area was created out of several portions of the parishes of
Balic-Balic, Our Lady of Loreto and Espiritu Santo. The boundaries that have
remained unchanged up to the present, are bounded by the following streets:
Claro M. Recto (Azcarraga) Sergio Loyola (Lepanto) M. Earnshaw Espana
Algeciras Laong-Laan Andalucia Quezon Blvd. Claro M. Recto.

The Parish of Santisimo Rosario was canonically inaugurated on April 26,

1942. The parish fiesta is held every first week of October. The reason for
this was that on September 28, 1942, the image of Our Blessed Lady of the Most
Holy Rosary, called the La Naval, was installed in the parish church. The
image used to stay in the convent of Santo Domingo in Intramuros, Manila until
the convent was burned down and the image had to be transferred to the parish
church. That year, the novena in honor of Our Blessed Virgin of the Most Holy
Rosary of La Naval was held at the Santisimo Rosario Parish church. The novena
became a tradition and, henceforth, the parish fiesta began to be celebrated
every first week of October.

PASTORING THE PARISH THROUGH THE YEARS

The decree of the Archbishop of Manila on March 21, 1942 carried with
it the appointment letters of Fr. Emiliano Serrano, O.P. (Spanish) as the
first parish priest of the new parish, and those of Fr. Angel Fernandez. O.P.
(Spanish), Fr. Benito Vargas, O.P. (Filipino), and Fr. Excelso Garcia, O.P.
(Spanish) as his assistants. Fr. Garcia served up to 1946, while Fr.
Fernandez and Fr. Vargas served as assistant parish priests up to 1954 and
1957, respectively.