Our Lady of Fatima Parish

Our Lady Of Fatima Parish

Alta Tierra Village:
Our Home
By:Terry B. Dullano

Alta Tierra Village is a 52-hectare expands of former riceland which was developed to offer a high standard low-to-medium cost homes. It is located along the national highway in baranggay Quintin Salas, Jaro, Iloilo City, approximately 3Km from the center of Jaro. The subdivision could be reached via the national road to Leganez or the Jaro Balabago road.
Developed by Alta Tierra resources, Inc., Alta Tierra Village is composed of 5 phases, 4 of which are residential areas (Phase I-IV) and the remaining phase (phase V), although intended for the establishment of the commercial complex, is now conglomeration of residential, educational, and commercial complex.
After the groundbreaking which took place on June 12, 1973 and the actual sales which began July 16 of the same year, Alta Tierra Village, in a span of 31 years, is a recipient of a multi-faroius development ranging from the housing projects to its population and infrastructures. The improved and beautiful homes and the mushrooming of infrastructures which include a parish church, a school, a radio/tv network, various bussiness establishments, waiting sheds, entrance arc, pro-life maker, covered gymnasium, and many others could attest to this.
Considered as a fast developing subdivision, Alta Tierra Village prides, too, of its sons and daughters, some of whom holds strategic positions and private sectors. Others have succesfully launched their bussiness ventures. A lot of them have their names significally written in the professional world while the rest have become dedicated religious, civic and comminity leaders and workers.
Alta Tierra Village enjoys a safe and wholesome community peopled by God fearing, peace-loving and family oriented individuals. Its people take good care of the environment with the trees lining every streets and every homes. It has created in every heart a sense of belongingness to this land they have learned to love. This is their home. Nobody could take this away from them including their right as persons.
Thus, at night, when you see lighted homes with lighted altars, when you see parents and children safely tucked in their homes, when you hear laughter and hushed voices from household members as they weave dreams together for their bright future, when you know you're HOME; for home is where the heart is.
Alta Tierra is our home. Yours and mine.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church: The Bastion of our Faith
By:Terry B. Dullano

This parish church, considered as the center of the faith life in this community, is the last thing legacy of many men and women who opened their hearts to build this church. Spearheading this grace-laden endeavour was Rev. Fr. Tom Tibudan who served as the first parish priest from May 1978 to Sept 1991.
When Fr. Tom arrived as our temporary chaplain in the early part of 1978, Alta Tierra village was just an infant but a fast developing subdivision without a permanent place of worship.
Through his initiative, a quasi parish council was formed on May 5, 1978 to oversee the spiritual and religious needs of the community which included the building of the parish church. The quasi parish council, with Fr. Tom as the spiritual adviser and Mr. Joe Alarcon as the first president derived its members from the Christian Family Movement (CFM), the pioneer and once the most active religious organization in the village headed by Jun and Lina Jacela.
As soon as the quasi parish council, composed of 30 members who were all residents of Phase I, was formed, the plan to build the church was materialized. Fr. Tom personally made a follow up with the Alta Tierra Resources, Inc., the developer, and with the National Housing Authority in Manila from the acquisition of the site which was contained in a petition letter signed by the homeowners' association represented by the board of Directors.
A fund raising raffle chaired by Bro. Prisco Perez was initiated and again Fr. Tom made a trip to Manila and brought back substantial donation for the construction of the church.
On April 30, 1978, an "Alay Para sa Simbahan" (Walk for the Church) activity started from phase I at 5:30 am to the site at phase V where our church now stands.
The ground-breaking ceremony followed the "Alay para sa Simbahan" which was officiated by his Excelency, the late Archbishop Alberto J. Piamonte.
On January 30, 1979, the Deed of Donation to the Roman Catholic Church for its perpetual use of the areas covering the parish Church, The Balay sang Paghidait, the rectory and the immediate sorroundings was acomplished.
On October 31, 1979, The First shipment of the materials for the church was recieved and the church construction started the next day. Two weeks later, the parish church rose on its present site with the support of the Alta Tierra Village parishioners, former parishioners and relatives of incumbent parishioners in foreign shores perticularly in the United States of America. The support was through the efforts of Rev.Fr. Tom Tibudan, Mr. Porfirio Ramos, then Manager of the Alta Tierra Resources ,Inc., The Alta Tierra Quasi-Parish council and the Homeowners' association.
The Church inaguration, held on Feb.1, 1986, was officiated by His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin. Thanksgiving Dinner followed at the Amigo Terrace Hotel. In attendance were the people who shared thier prayers, time, efforts and resources in the building of our church.
Thus, for a makeshift hut at phase II which housed the improvised altar of our Lord during the Saturday evening masses, Alta Tierra Village now prides itself of an elegant of beautiful house of God, the construction of which was finished in a record time of six years and nine months at the total cost of 920,000.00 Php. Along with these are other physical structures built adjacent to the church like the Balay sang Paghidait and the Parish Rectory.
The Balay sang Paghidait, a multi-purpose building designed to serve as venue for the multi-farious religious and social functions of the parish, was a project of the Knights of Columbus, San Lorenzo Ruiz Council #9466 with the late Judge Cornelio Lazaro, Sr. as grand knight.
The proceeds from a fund raising raffle chaired by Bro. Prisco Perez served as the initial fund for its construction.
On Feb.15, 1988, The whole parish witnessed the canonical creation of our village as the new parish of Our Lady of Fatima and the official installation Rev. Fr.Tom Tibudan as our first Parish Priest.
Several Barangays and Subdivisions belong to the Our Lady of Fatima Parish. The barangays are Balabago, Bito-on, Cubay, and Quintin Salas. The Subdivisions are Alta Tierra Village, Land Hieghts, Petalsville, Banker's Village, Villa Las Palmas, Rica Village, Greenfield Subdivision, Lucky Homes and Remonville.
On May 1989, the parish pastoral council was organized. The main objective of the council was to empower the laity to work hand in hand with the parish priest in the pastoral affairs in the parish. The late Judge Cornelio Lazaro,Sr. was elected president of the council. Mrs. Teresita B. Dullano took over the helm of leadership from 1990 to 1994.
From 1990 -1991, Fr. Tom took a leave of absence from our parish and serve as associate pastor of Sta. Barbara Parish in Dededo,Guam, USA. It was through the mutual arrangement of the late Msgr. Alberto J. Piamonte and Archbishop Anthony Apuron of the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam.
In the meantime, the late Rev. Fr. Restituto Cerdeña served as interim parish priest from Sept. 1991 to April 1992. In August 1992, Fr. Tom resigned as parish priest and his legacy of almost a decade and a half of priestly ministry will always be imprinted in our hearts. He has been our source of spiritual nourishment.
Rev. Fr. Excel N.Jaen took over as our parish priest from April 1992 to Nov. 30, 2002. In 1998, Fr. Jaen took the initiative of reconstituting the missing documents of the Deed of Donation for the lots covered by our parish church. It was in collaboration with the Board of Governorns and Alta Tierra Homeowners' Association under the chairmanship of Gov. Pillar "Aring" S. Catedral.
In Nov.30, 2003, Msgr. Enrique B. Perez was sent by God to sheperd us. The welcoming gestures of the parishioners in our parish was overwhelming. The support and cooperation afforded him, speak highly of the kind of people composed this parish: God loving and God Fearing.