Resurrection of Our Lord Parish

The Resurrection of Our Lord Parish traces its roots to a small chapel built by the surviving guerrillas of the Second World War. After fighting the Japanese forces in the 1940s these guerillas settled in Barrio Paltok and built a chapel from scrap material on the same spot that served as their hideout. They dedicated this small chapel to the Mater Dolorosa and then decided to adopt the titular, Resurrection of Our Lord, in gratitude for their narrow escape from death in the hands of the Japanese.

Coming regularly to say Mass at the then Chapel of the Resurrection of Our Lord were the Franciscan priests of the nearby San Pedro Bautista Parish. Regular churchgoers and active church workers at that time together came up with a petition for the chapel to be elevated into the status of an independent parish church.  Their petition was finally granted when on January 15, 1975, a decree signed by then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal L. Sin formally recognized the newly established Resurrection of Our Lord Parish (ROLP).

During its first decade of existence, the Philippine Dominican Province adopted the parish as its mission area, with Dominican clergy serving as its parish priests—Fr. Rogelio Alarcon, OP in 1975, Fr. Catalino Elloso, OP from 1976 to 1980, and Fr. Reynaldo Adalid, OP from 1980 to 1985. Gradually and with the help of generous parishioners they expanded the chapel by adding a choir loft and later a makeshift rectory as they established new parish organizations.

In 1985 the Dominicans turned over ROLP to the diocesan clergy, with Fr. Edgardo Merin as effectively the first diocesan pastor of ROLP. Fr. Merin started the minor expansion of the Church, and encouraged families to keep images for the Holy Week processions.

Since the establishment of the parish in 1975 until the end of Fr. Merin’s term, the parish area covered Barangays Paltok and Bungad. Shortly before Fr. Merin left, the chapel of Sto. Cristo in Bungad was erected as an independent parish in 1990.

Fr. Miguelito “Mike” Lagrimas, who took over from Fr. Merin in 1990, started the Parish Renewal Experience (PREX) and formation for Eucharistic ministers, and jumpstarted with Fr. Merin the efforts for church expansion. Seven months later, Fr. Cesar “Mac” Macariola was called in as the next pastor of ROLP. In November 1990, Fr. Mac, formed the Misang Pambata Staff (MPS) that  would cater to the liturgical and pastoral programs for the youth and children. Fr. Mac also saw to the planning and construction of a new and expanded church structure, the formation of community leaders, and spiritual nourishment of the parish. In 2000, ROLP had belonged to what became known as the Ecclesiastical District of Quezon City-South (renamed as the district of Cubao in 2002). The parish was regularly visited by district bishop Teodoro Buhain, and later on by Bishop Socrates Villegas. In 2002, unfortunately, the parish convent was accidentally burnt down, and parishioners soon felt the need to build a new parish center. Over the next three years, plans to build a new church and extend the scope of the parish grounds to the side of Gomez Street gradually materialized, thanks to several creative fund-raising schemes hatched by the Parish Pastoral Council and generously supported by active parishioners. On March 23, 2000, what is now the present church structure, was opened and blessed. In 2003, Fr. Macariola was succeeded first by Fr. Clodorico “Clod” Bagabaldo and then by Fr. Raymond Arre. On June 28 of this same year, ROLP was formally separated from the Archdiocese of Manila and made part of the newly created Diocese of Cubao.

Completed shortly after Fr. Arre’s installation in November 2003 as the first parish priest of ROLP now under the Diocese of Cubao, was the four-storey parish center on Gomez Street, which has to this day housed the parish office, sacristy, Formation Center, parish rectory, and roofdeck.

January 2006 saw the installation of Fr. Ronald Macale who strengthened the simbahang tao through intensive formation of the basic ecclesial communities (BEC), which he named “Munting Simbahang Kapitbahayan” (MSK). He implemented Diocesan-initiated programs such as the BAPP stewardship program, and the Jesus and Me (JAM) program for the youth. He also set up the multimedia ministry called Multimedia Advocates for Creative Evangelization (MACE). On Jan. 16, 2010, the parish’s 35th foundation anniversary, Bishop Ongtioco presided over the dedication rites of the ROLP church.

From 2012 to 2018, two other parish priests came to ROLP–Fr. Emmanuel “Pong” Del Rosario and Fr. Victor Angelo “Gelo” Parlan, who in their own ways strengthened the spiritual formation of the community through recollections, fostered the  devotion to the Black Nazarene, revitalized  the Hijos de Nazareno movement, enhanced the interior of the church, revived church traditions, strengthened the music ministry, and pushed for formation programs for the lay leaders of the parish.

Since 2018 to the present, Fr. Fred Cristian Narvasa has served as ROLP’s parish priest, continuing the work of  his immediate predecessors while underscoring the value of servant leadership. In light of the current pandemic, Fr. Fred has also ushered in alternative or “new-normal” modes of spreading the faith and enjoining the faithful to participate in Eucharistic celebrations, albeit remotely and virtually.

Rev. Fr. Victor Angelo S. Parlan (2015–2018)
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel E. del Rosario (2012–2015)
Rev. Fr. Ronald M. Macale (2006–2012)
Rev. Fr. Raymond Arre (2003–2006)
Rev. Fr. Clodorico V. Bagabaldo (2003)
Rev. Fr. Cesar D. Macariola (1990–2003)
Rev. Fr. Miguelito Lagrimas (1990)
Rev. Fr. Edgardo B. Merin (1985–1990)
Rev. Fr. Reynaldo J. Adalid, O.P. (1980–1985)
Rev. Fr. Catalino Elloso, O.P. (1975–1980)
Rev. Fr. Rogelio Alarcon, O.P. (1975)

Pre-pandemic schedule:

ROLP Church (39 Basa St.):

Weekdays: 6:00 AM
Every Wed., Fri. and Sat.: 6:30 PM
Sunday: 6:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 7:30 PM

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Chapel (Ilagan St.): Sunday at 8:00 AM
Holy Eucharist Chapel (Anakbayan St.): Sunday at 5:30 PM

Holy Mass Schedule during the New Normal:

Wed., Fri., Sat. & other feast days: 7:00 AM
Sunday: 8:00 AM, 10:00 A.M., 5:00 PM, 7:00

Eucharistic celebrations are also done on feast days when they fall on days other than those mentioned above. Schedule of these celebrations are announced on the official FB page of ROLP as needed.

ROLP Pastoral Services:

Baptism (by appointment)
Weddings (by appointment)
Anointing of the Sick (by appointment)

Blessing: funeral or house (by appointment)
Vehicles or religious items (after every Mass)

Parish Office Hours:

Tuesday to Sunday

• 8:00 AM to 12:00 NN
• 2:00 PM to 6:00 pm

schedule subject to change depending on the situation in the parish