HISTORY OF SANTA RITA
Santa Rita, with a total land area of 3, 296 hectares, is a pear-shaped
town in the heart of Pampanga. Bounded on the north by the mountainous
terrain of Porac, on the east by Bacolor, and on the south by “Wawa” or
Guagua, the second smallest town in the province is basically agricultural and
accessible to commercial centers and market transit points via the Olongapo-
Gapan-San Fernando Highway.
Santa Rita had its humble beginnings. Records show that sometime in
1697, the town started as a settlement at a place called Gasac, now Barangay
San Isidro. During those times, politically and religiously, the town of Porac
managed the affairs of the town.
There, it eventually expanded to a wide territory embracing today’s
Barangays San Vicente, San Matias, Santa Monica, San Agustin and San
Juan. It was in 1724 that Santa Rita was carved out of Porac, although not as
a separate parish. The year 1771 became a religious highlight when Santa
Rita assumed parochial independence through the efforts of Rev. Fr.
Eustaquio Polina.
Santa Rita, at present, proudly stands as a survivor - a town of resiliency,
hard work and progress. Known as one of the best agriculturists and farmers
in Pampanga, the Riteňans preserved the beautiful tradition of farming. As a
matter of fact, the people of Santa Rita were the first to adopt the native
plowing system of furrowing to the depth of more than 12 inches for planting
sugarcane points, known locally as simberga after its Riteňan originator,
Simeon Vergara.
The town’s fine delicacies like the turrones de casoy, sans rival and
the duman remain unrivaled up to this time. Duman, the cooked and pounded
glutinous rice, famous for its green color, fragrance and exquisite taste, has
given birth to the Duman Festival, an annual exhibition of the best
performing artists of the province and authentic Kapampangan cuisine.
ArtiSta.Rita, the town’s iconic cultural group, founded the Duman
Festival. This cultural advocacy has merited the group with the 2OO4 Most
Outstanding Kapampangan (MOKA) Special Citation for the Performing
Arts and a national award, the 2OO7 Gawad Alab ng Haraya for Best
Cultural Performance given by the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA).
On December 16, 2009, another festival was born in Santa Rita, the
Cadena de Suman, under the able and motherly leadership of the Hon.
Yolanda Pineda, the only female mayor Santa Rita ever had. The annual
festival aims to promote the suman and the inspiring solidarity of the
Riteñans, as evidenced by the participation of the town’s ten barangays in
suman and kubol-making competitions and cultural presentations from
academic institutions.
In 2011, another historic milestone was again achieved under the
incumbency of Hon. Mayor Yolanda Pineda. This time, the municipal
building was reconstructed to full grandiosity, reminiscent of the elegance of
the bygone era, while heralding the dawning of a robust economy and a
deeper reverence to tradition and piety.
Santa Rita has also become an attractive site for national movie
settings. Film makers and production designers find its heritage church and
ancestral houses appealing. In the 7O’s and 9O’s, Villa Epifania located at
Barangay San Jose, became the main set of Lino Brocka’s Tinimbang Ka
Ngunit Kulang and Laurice Guillen’s Tanging Yaman respectively.
Numerous TV productions like the Filipino version of Marimar and Mga
Mata Ni Angelita were also shot in the town, among many others.
In matters of religious life, the Ritenians are known for their pious and
deep devotion to our Lord Almighty. The religious practices and meaningful
celebrations during the Holy Week is almost always impressive in attendance
with even people from other places witnessing our rites, beautiful ‘caros’ and
religious images and attending Eucharistic celebrations.
Santa Rita, one of Pampanga’s most peaceful towns, the abode of
those with deep and active religiosity. . . a haven of warm smiles, simplicity
and unmistakable hospitality. . . the town of hardworking and the wise. . . a
progressive town of limitless possibilities. . . . the pride of Pampanga.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
The heritage Church is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of San Fernando.
Fr. Pedro de San Nicolas served as minister of both Porac and Santa
Rita in 1722, but it was only in 1726 when Santa Rita had its own priest and
therefore became an independent parish. Fr. Francisco Royo built the present
church in 1839; Fr. Juan Merino completed it in 1868. These two priests also
opened the road linking Santa Rita with Porac and Guagua.
Building of the church had to be delayed until the late 19th century due
to economic adjuristicial conditions. The single-nave church is 55m long,
13m wide and 10m high. It has a large and well-lit transept. The solid brass
facade has baroque characteristics and the single columns are relatively
slender.
The pediment is enlivened by a mini-retablo flanked by mini-towers.
The squat four-storey bell tower, which attracts the eye, is somewhat
balanced by the stone arcade of the rectory (convent) at the far end. Within
the church are three Neo-Gothic (main and the two on the sides) and two
Neo-Classical retablos. According to heritage conservation experts, the Neo-
Gothic retablos may be the one of the very few in the country today.
The rectory is a Spanish-era-bahay-na-bato, which is a blending of
indigenous and colonial building principles, which makes it distinctly
Filipino. It shares a wall and opens into the parish church.
The parish is the site where the Holy Relic of Saint Rita de Cascia is
enshrined. The parish first obtained the First Class Relic of the saint through
the help and assistance of His Excellency, Most Rev. Riccardo Fontana of
Spoleto-Norcia, Italy, the archdiocese to which Cascia belongs. Archbishop
Fontana forwarded the Relic through the mediation of the Apostolic
Nunciature in Manila to Archbishop Paciano Aniceto who in turn handed it
over to the parish of Santa Rita de Cascia on August 17, 2008. It was through
the initiative of then parish priest, Msgr. Eugenio G. Reyes, JCD, that the
relic was obtained. The First Class Relic is from the flesh “ex carne”of the
Saint. As noted in its accompanying Certificate of Authenticity, the relic was
part of the last batch extracted from the incorrupt body of Saint Rita on 20
August 1972
The reliquary is laid open for public veneration every August 17. St.
Rita of Cascia (1381) was born in the Italian town of Roccaporena. When her
husband and twin sons died, she entered the Augustinian Nuns. The next 40
years of her life saw St. Rita devoting herself to a life of prayer and works
and deeds of charity as dictated by the rules of St Augustine. At age 60, while
meditating before the cross, a wound seeming afflicted by a thorn appeared
on her forehead. St. Rita began boring the sign of stigmatization which is
considered being one with Jesus. Because of the stigmata, she suffered in
pain for the next 15 years which she courageously accepted. St. Rita died on
May 22, 1457. Her intact and incorrupt body is kept and honored in the
shrine at her hometown on Cascia, Italy.
The parishioners have a very strong and lasting devotion to St. Rita that is
passed through generations and transcends migration.
We have the 15 Thursdays novena to St. Rita in preparation for her
Novenario before her feastday.
Every 12th of May, the parish is holding its “Marcha nang Apung Dita”
as a prelude to the 9-day novena in her honor.
On her feastday, May 22, roses and blessed oils are given to
churchgoers. It was believed that the oil relieves any aching part of the
body once rubbed with it.
May 23 is the day wherein the children of the parish are consecrated to
St. Rita.
“Misa king Control” is celebrated every October as a thanksgiving to
St. Rita for being saved from the devastation of lahar. It was believed
that a miracle happened on the onslaught of the lahar which was
heading to our town. The people guarding the Megadike saw a lady-
nun on the place. And on that instant, the rampaging mudflow suddenly
changed course and it headed to nearby Bacolor town, thus sparing Sta.
Rita. The deliverance of the town from the catastrophic mudflow was
more than proof of her being so miraculous.
As their advocate, many people not only Ritenians, have attributed
many miracles in their lives through the intercession of St. Rita – from
Abused victims, against loneliness, against sterility, bodily ills,
desperate causes, difficult marriages, forgotten causes, impossible
causes, infertility, lost causes, parenthood, sickness, sterility, and
victims of physical spouse abuse.
“PATRON SAINT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE”, this is how St. Rita is well
remembered today because of her miracle-laden life and death.
Impossible to think. . . . yet things and events became possible.
