Song of Years

by: Benjamin Franklin

Burlington, Oct. 12. Saturday last at Mount-Holly, about 8 Miles from this Place, near 300 People were gathered together to see an Experiment or two tried on some Persons accused of Witchcraft. It seems the Accused had been charged with making their Neighbours Sheep dance in an uncommon Manner, and with causing Hogs to speak, and sing Psalms, &c. to the great Terror and Amazement of the King’s good and peaceable Subjects in this Province; and the Accusers being very positive that if the Accused were weighed in Scales against a Bible, the Bible would prove too heavy for them; or that, if they were bound and put into the River, they would swim; the said Accused desirous to make their Innocence appear, voluntarily offered to undergo the said Trials, if 2 of the most violent of their Accusers would be tried with them.

Accordingly the Time and Place was agreed on, and advertised about the Country; The Accusers were 1 Man and 1 Woman; and the Accused the same. The Parties being met, and the People got together, a grand Consultation was held, before they proceeded to Trial; in which it was agreed to use the Scales first; and a Committee of Men were appointed to search the Men, and a Committee of Women to search the Women, to see if they had any Thing of Weight about them, particularly Pins. After the Scrutiny was over, a huge great Bible belonging to the Justice of the Place was provided, and a Lane through the Populace was made from the Justices House to the Scales, which were fixed on a Gallows erected for that Purpose opposite to the House, that the Justice’s Wife and the rest of the Ladies might see the Trial, without coming amongst the Mob; and after the Manner of Moorfields, a large Ring was also made. Then came out of the House a grave tall Man carrying the Holy Writ before the supposed Wizard, &c. (as solemnly as the Sword-bearer of London before the Lord Mayor) the Wizard was first put in the Scale, and over him was read a Chapter out of the Books of Moses, and then the Bible was put in the other Scale, (which being kept down before) was immediately let go; but to the great Surprize of the Spectators, Flesh and Bones came down plump, and outweighed that great good Book by abundance. After the same Manner, the others were served, and their Lumps of Mortality severally were too heavy for Moses and all the Prophets and Apostles.

This being over, the Accusers and the rest of the Mob, not satisfied with this Experiment, would have the Trial by Water; accordingly a most solemn Procession was made to the Mill-pond; where both Accused and Accusers being stripp’d (saving only to the Women their Shifts) were bound Hand and Foot, and severally placed in the Water, lengthways, from the Side of a Barge or Flat, having for Security only a Rope about the Middle of each, which was held by some in the Flat. The Accuser Man being thin and spare, with some Difficulty began to sink at last; but the rest every one of them swam very light upon the Water. A Sailor in the Flat jump’d out upon the Back of the Man accused, thinking to drive him down to the Bottom, but the Person bound, without any Help, came up some time before the other. The Woman Accuser, being told that she did not sink, would be duck’d a second Time; when she swam again as light as before. Upon which she declared, That she believed the Accused had bewitched her to make her so light, and that she would be duck’d again a Hundred Times, but she would duck the Devil out of her. The accused Man, being surpriz’d at his own Swimming, was not so confident of his Innocence as before, but said, If I am a Witch, it is more than I know. The more thinking Part of the Spectators were of Opinion, that any Person so bound and plac’d in the Water (unless they were mere Skin and Bones) would swim till their Breath was gone, and their Lungs fill’d with Water. But it being the general Belief of the Populace, that the Womens Shifts, and the Garters with which they were bound help’d to support them; it is said they are to be tried again the next warm Weather, naked.

After how many years, I finally made a new article! This project was thrust upon me by Rev. Fr. Belstar Ediang who asked for my help to create a brief history of the Diocese which will be published for CBCP. He provided me with the data and I just sort of summarized his article. This took 3 days to write. Getting out of Writer's Block is difficult indeed.

Leafing through the pages of an old newspaper, I came upon an article about the history of the Diocese of Pagadian. I was struck with awe and wonder at how this Diocese fought through the challenges of the times and emerged victorious. And isn't it amazing how we can look back a year ago and realize that everything has changed? More so when we look back 50years. 

From a small town in the western part of Mindanao, measuring only 2,807 square kilometers, Pagadian derived its name from the word “Pangadyean” which imply “a place to be prayed for” due to the Malaria epidemic that seized the town in its early days. Today, Pagadian is fondly nicknamed “The Little Hongkong of the South” because of its mountainous topography and undulating terrain.

Pagadian is mostly populated by the Tri People: The Subanens in the uplands, the Muslims in the coasts, and the Christians, who are the majority, are in the lowlands. But despite the differences in culture and religion, the people are united towards peace and the development of Pagadian. Indeed the fruits of labor, especially the efforts of the church paid off, and the generation of today is reaping its harvest.

When Pagadian, which was used to be part of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, was elevated as a Diocese on Nov. 12, 1971 by His Holiness Pope Paul VI, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Jesus B. Tuquib was its first bishop. The Columban Fathers from Ireland, America, Australia and New Zealand continued the work of the Jesuit missionaries and this greatly helped the young diocese. Aside from being the first parish priests of the 13 parishes that initially made up the Diocese, the Columban Fathers also fought illiteracy by founding High School educational institutions for the poor and the needy in almost every parish they served. 

The missionary work of the Columban Fathers yielded abundant fruits of priestly vocations as well. Among the first Filipino priests were Rev. Fr. Francisco L. Pintac in 1976, Rev. Fr. Salvador Banga and Rev. Fr. Cresencio Suarin in 1977. Also, the Holy Infant Seminary was created that same year to cater to the fertile vineyard for vocations. However, since the harvest is plenty but laborers are few, priests from neighboring provinces of Bohol and Dipolog were enlisted at Pagadian.

The Diocese paid attention not only to priestly vocations, but also to lay formations. Numerous training and seminars were initiated for the formation of the laity which paved the way to the organization of full-time parish workers. The PRL (Priests, Religious and Lay) an offshoot of this collaboration, addresses the different issues that confront the Church - be they economical, political, ecological or moral.

In August of 1976, when the Diocese was still 5 years old, a terrible earthquake shook the city of Pagadian. The tidal waves or tsunami killed many people, brought great and vast destruction along the coastal areas of Pagadian and destroyed many buildings and properties. The Diocese helped bury the dead, fed the hungry and relocated the homeless. 

Aside from natural disasters, the Diocese also confronted socio-political issues in order to bring justice, peace and equality to all.Issues like mining, Swertres and peace and order of the City were faced head-on. The Diocese stood firm in its convictions, did not tolerate unfairness and did not waver in its mission. Additionally, massive campaigns through homilies and assemblies were conducted to educate the people.

In order to realize its vision and mission, the Diocese created different programs and apostolates such as: Hatag-uli, Basic Ecclesiastical Community (BEC), Parish Youth Apostolate (PYA), Vocation Promoters, Family and Life Apostolate (FLA), and Sabakan among others. These programs and apostolates cater to the different needs of the parishioners. Most of these programs are parish-based so that they are able to reach even the remotest family or individual.  

After 50 years, the Diocese continues to uphold and serve its people while staying true to its mission: To bring the love of God to everyone. That is what makes it awesome and amazing: That no matter the change in the times, the Diocese will continue to adapt to the changes. We can be sure that with the guidance of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Pagadian Diocese will continue to do God’s work for many years to come.