77th Parish of Caceres Canonically Erected

MAGARAO, Camarines Sur, Sept. 4, 2009- Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi has led the Solemn Canonical Erection of the Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish, the archdiocese's 77th parish, and the Rite of Installation of Fr. Ryan Fenis, its first parish priest.

Held last Aug. 22, several parishioners attended the said rites that took place during the feast of the Queenship of Mary, at the patio of Barangay Casuray Chapel, Magarao, Camarines Sur.

Barangay Casuray is the seat of this new parish which is composed of eight barangays from the municipalities of Magarao and Canaman.

Casuray is a barangay of the mother parish, St. Anne, Magarao, which according to the studies of the Bikol historian, Prof. Danilo Gerona, became an independent parish in 1750. Magarao was a former visita of Canaman which began as a rustic mission outpost (a Franciscan doctrina) in 1583.

According to the archdiocese, it took around 160 years before Magarao separated from Canaman. It took another 260 years more before St. Anne Parish, Magarao, gave birth to a new parish.

"With the growth in population and life in the place, with the greater spiritual need of the people, moves were taken to prepare for the establishment from a mission station to a parish," the archdiocese said in an article posted at its website (www.caceres-naga.org) (CBCPNews)