La Resurreccion Parish in Victoria, Laguna

Early this year, I was able to visit 14 beautiful churches in the province of Laguna. Back in 2019, we had a pilgrimage tour organized by our parish where we visited some notable old churches in the province including the historic church of Saint James the Apostle in Paete, the recently declared National Shrine of Saint Anthony de Padua in Pila, the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pagsanjan, the home of Our Lady of Turumba in Pakil, the Immaculate Conception Parish in Santa Cruz, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Parish in Mabitac, and Nuestra Señora de la Natividad in Pangil. I’m really glad that I was able to visit more historic churches in Laguna this year.

We started our tour in San Agustin Parish in Bay, Laguna which I had a chance to visit last 2020 during the peak of the COVID19 Pandemic. We headed next to the town of Victoria to visit the La Resurreccion Parish. The town of Victoria is a 4th class municipality in Laguna and is probably best known as the Duck raising capital of the Philippines. La Resurreccion Parish seemed to be the only Catholic church in the town but there are notable chapels nearby including the San Roque chapel and San Isidro chapel.

Compared to its neighboring towns, La Resurreccion Parish is relatively new (being established in the 20th century). Despite this, the town of Victoria is the home to one of the oldest church ruins in the country. Located in Barrio Pagalangan are the ruins from the first San Antonio de Padua church. Pagalangan (which means “the place of reverence) is not just formerly part of Pila, Laguna but was actually the center of the town. The Franciscans built the first church dedicated to Saint Anthony in the highest point of Pagalangan that faces the Laguna de Bay. The construction of the stone church started in 1599 and was inaugurated in 1617. However, due to frequent flooding, the town center of Pila was moved to another place (Santa Clara, Pila) and Pagalangan eventually became part of Victoria, Laguna.

The ruins of the first Pila Church in Barrio Pagalangan (Photo by Romeo Tope)

Victoria was formerly known as Nanhaya and was initially part of Pila, Laguna. Prominent citizens and civic leaders find new hope to make Nanhaya a town, when the Americans granted the Philippine Independence in 1946.They revived the move to separate from Pila. This time citizens proposed to name the town Trinidad, after the young republic’s First Lady, the wife of then President Manuel Roxas but the proposal was initially opposed and shelved. When Elpidio Quirino took over the presidency, some of the most prominent and wealthiest families of the town including the Fernandez clans, Andres Franco, Dr. Agrifino Oca, Gregorio Herradura and Leonardo “Ma Adong” Rebong intensified the campaign to make Nanhaya a separate town. In November 15, 1949, President Quirino finally signed the Executive Order segregating Nanhaya and 8 other barrio into an independent community. Instead of Trinidad, Nanhaya was eventually named Victoria, a name adopted from President Quirino’s daughter – Victoria Quirino.

One of the prominent personalities behind this campaign – Leonardo Rebong aka Ma Adong also played a huge role in the establishment of La Resurrection Parish in Victoria. The construction of La Resurreccion Parish was first conceptualized in 1963. In response to Jose Salvador Dator’s request, Leonardo Rebong exchanged his land (the current site of the parish) to a site near the Nanhaya school. Couple Teodoro C. Dator at Peregrina R. Rebong also lend additional land to widen the church and to offer enough space for a Catholic school and other facilities that the church might need in the future.

The construction of the church and its convent took place in 1964. It took many years until the current church was finally completed in 1991. The church was designed by Architect Reynaldo Espiritu. As the name suggests, the parish is dedicated under the patronage of the Resurrected Christ.

The church has a very spacious landscape which makes it one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Laguna. It comes with a simple and less ornate facade. The mixture of concrete and red bricks of Victoria church somehow reminds me of the Saint Joseph Parish in Bailen, Cavite.  The church welcomes you with a large porch in the main entrance. It comes with a large niche at the center of its facade with an image of the Resurrected Christ. The four-story high bell tower is situated on the far-right side of the church.

The interior of the church is equally beautiful which highlights a stunning red-bricked and marble-walled sanctuary. It also comes with a series of stained-glass windows depicting images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary and other saints like San Isidro and San Agustin to name a few.

Central nave and altar

The main altar has a large single niche that features the image of the Crucified Christ with the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary on both sides.

The side altars enshrines the images of the Resurrected Christ and Nuestra Señora de Alegria (The Virgin of Joy)

The main altar of La Resurreccion Parish

The main altar with the image of the Crucified Christ

The Resurrected Christ

Nuestra Señora de Alegria

Saint Michael the Archangel

Our Lady of Victory

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Things you should know about the La Resurreccion Parish in Victoria, Laguna

• The parish was constructed in 1964 and was completed in 1991
• Daily Mass Schedule: Mondays (6 AM); Tuesdays -Street Mass (6 PM); Wednesdays (6AM and 6PM – Street Mass); Thursdays (6 AM); Friday (6 PM); Saturdays (6 AM and 6 PM); and Sundays (6 AM and 9 AM)
• Make sure not to miss nearby pasalubong centers like Itlog ni Kuya to buy their famous balut and penoy

This post is part of my Laguna Pilgrimage series 2022: Feel free to check the rest of my entries here:

• A Pilgrimage to Laguna 2022: Visiting 14 Beautiful Churches in Laguna
• White House Bistro 1938 – An Ancestral House Turned Restaurant in Liliw, Laguna
• La Resurreccion Parish in Victoria, Laguna
• Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery
• San Bartolome Apostol Parish – Nagcarlan, Laguna
• San Gregorio Magno Parish – Majayjay, Laguna
• San Sebastian Parish – Lumban, Laguna
• Santa Maria Magdalena Church – Magdalena Laguna
• San Juan Bautista Parish – Longos, Kalayaan, Laguna

Also feel free to visit my articles about these Laguna churches

• National Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua in Pila, Laguna
• Immaculate Conception Church in Santa Cruz, Laguna
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish – Pagsanjan, Laguna
• Saint James the Apostle Parish – Paete, Laguna
• Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Turumba/ Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish in Pakil, Laguna
• Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Parish in Mabitac, Laguna
• Nuestra Señora de la Natividad Parish in Pangil, Laguna
• Saint John the Baptist Parish in Liliw, Laguna
• San Agustin Parish in Bay, Laguna
• List of Churches to Visit in Laguna for Visita Iglesia
• Pilgrimage to Laguna 2019

Places to visit in Laguna

• White House Bistro 1938 Restaurant
• Esmeris Farm in Liliw
• Camp Silva Hotspring in Calauan, Laguna
• Dalitawan Resort in Majayjay

Information references: La Resurreccion Parish FB Page / Victoria Laguna History and Legacy / Pila Laguna Tumblr / Romeo Tope /