Immaculate Conception Parish – Ipil, Ormoc City

On December 8, 1907, the barrio folk celebrated its first barrio fiesta. The Mass was officiated by Rev. Fr. Ismael Cataag, a priest from Sts. Peter and Paul parish. Since then every time the people celebrated their Fiesta, a priest from the said parish was requested to officiate the mass.

During World War II the chapel was destroyed. A second attempt was made to rebuild the chapel using light materials so the people could continue their devotion to the patron saint. In 1952, the chapel was renovated and became semi-concrete, and expanded to accommodate more worshippers. The barrio folks donated materials needed for the chapel-like religious statues, flower vases, altar mantles, and many others.

In 1956, the carved wooden altar was donated by the Rivilla’s, administrators of the Ormoc Sugar Company then a flourishing sugar mill in Ipil. This family also shouldered whatever repairs needed in the chapel from then on.

As years passed by, Ipil grew population-wise as the sugar industry boomed. The Chapel continued to serve the growing population for their spiritual needs and enlightenment. Priests from the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish continued to say masses on Sundays until Msgr. Pastor Cotiangco the parish priest of Ormoc aired the plan that Ipil will be turned into a parish. But certain requirements have to meet. First, the lot where the chapel is built must be donated to the new parish. Second, the chapel must have room for expansion and a convent must be constructed. Delighted at the prospect of Ipil turning into a parish, the Asociacion de Capella met to see how they could come up with the requirements. The group feared that the privilege would go to Brgy. Bantigue a barrio near Ormoc City, as one wealthy resident of that barrio, was willing to donate a lot for the site of the parish church. That posed a challenge for the Asosacion de Capella. They solicited funds from abroad in order to finance the project. And so with the help of the people living in Ipil and in nearby barrios the plan was realized. The chapel was renovated, a convent was constructed and the lot was donated by Mrs. Susana Vda. De Castañeda.

On March 30, 1989, a grand event, which brought to the fore pride as a community member of Ipil folk was the erection of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish. Days before the event, a fiesta atmosphere was pervading the air as stone fences were whitewashed, welcome streamers and paper triangles were hung and every house bedecked itself gaily. Every urchin’s face was scrubbed, everybody wore their Sunday’s best and headed for what used to be the chapel of Brgy. Ipil. On this great day, Brgy. Ipil was especially proud as it welcomed guests, young and old, rich and poor. The event also installed Rev. Fr. Victor Pore with Msgr. Pastor Cotiangco and three other priests of the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish. A banquet followed the mass. The areas covered by the parish include Ipil, Boroc, Hugpa, San Antonio, Danhug, Macabug, Mabini Mahayahay, Can-untog, Quezon Jr., Benolho & Sherwood. It was during Fr. Pore’s term that the Parish Pastoral Council was established with Mrs. Carlota T. Savillo as its president, Mrs. Eufracia vda. De Bioc and Mr. Roque P. Quiamco as the vice-presidents, secretaries were Mrs. Luzviminda C. Laurente and Mrs. Elena S. Salapantan, Mr. Silvino P. Codog was elected as the treasurer while Ms. Maria Aurora B. Sacay became the auditor of the council and Mr. Damaso Asuque was chosen to be P.I.O. It was not until later after the first Archdiocesan Pastoral Assembly that the Parish Pastoral Council was restricted. The council now consisted of different commissions with different pastoral functions namely: Worship Commission, Education Commission, Social Action Commission, Temporalities Commission, and Youth Commission or WESTY.

The Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish houses many organizations. Among these are the parish council, Knight of Columbus, who exerted the most effort for the improvement of the parish church. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, Lay Ministers, Legion of Mary, Catechetical Program, the different confraternities namely, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Lourdes and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the World Apostolate of Fatima, the Couples for Christ and the Neo-Catechumenal Way.