Our Lady of Light Parish - History

History

In 1707, Padre Gaspar Marco, a Jesuit priest, first built the stone church of Cainta. It was then dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle. The construction of the stone church was finished under the administration of Padre Joaquin Sanchez, S.J. in 1716. In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought from Sicily, Italy and was chosen as the new patroness of the church. The church of Cainta was officially erected as a parish in 1760. From the Jesuits, the administration of the church was turned over to the Augustinians, then back to the Jesuits and was later turned over to the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, more known as the CICM Fathers in 1931.This was one of the big churches in Politico Distrito de Morong. Unfortunately, in 1899, during the Philippine-American War, the Parish Church was burned together with the original icon of Our Lady. It remained a ruin into the 1960s.

Filipino Painter and National Artist Fernando Amorsolo was commissioned to write a replica of the icon of Our Lady. The church was rebuilt and the facade was restored with a coat of Portland cement in 1966. The restoration and reconstruction of the Church of Our Lady of Light was completed and was blessed by Rufino J. Cardinal Santos, then Archbishop of Manila on the 25th of February, 1968. Except for the outer walls, it is now greatly renovated, and hardly anything remains of the old church. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Msgr. Alfredo Sta. Ana as its first Diocesan Parish Priest.

Currently, the church is under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo, which was created in 1983 and is now shepherd by the Most Reverend Gabriel V. Reyes, together with the Auxiliary Bishop, Most Reverend Francisco M. De Leon. The episcopal coronation was on December 01, 2012 by the Bishop of Antipolo, Most Rev.Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D. assisted by former Ambassador to the Vatican, Henrietta De Villa.