As far as the local Catholic church is concerned, 2017 is a twin celebration, owing to the 400th year in existence of the Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish (SVFP) church and the 60th anniversary of the death, or birth into heaven, of the patron saint.

This, needless to say, is the focal point of the town fiesta, a point underlined by the presence of none other than Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, His Excellency Socrates B. Villegas.

Known for zeroing in on the essence of things, Villegas lost no time in driving home the point of the fiesta in his sermon during the solemn Eucharistic celebration held in the parish church after the grand procession on April 5 around Poblacion. He said that, from the Church perspective, the fiesta honors the memory of the patron’s saintly life and inspires devotees to imitate his quest to follow the will of God in his life.

Villegas reminded the parishioners about St. Vincent Ferrer’s legacy in church history: “Pinagaling niya ang pagkakawatak-watak ng simbahan.”

“Will St. Vincent be diminished if we don’t celebrate the fiesta?” Villegas went on. “No, because he has already the fullness of joy whether or not we celebrate it. We hold the fiesta for our own sake; it is us who gain spiritual merits, not St. Vincent.”

Villegas then challenged the parishioners to live out their lives the way Señor San Vicente Ferrer did: a life of giving in love of and service to God and his people.

The top cleric did not hesitate to cite Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao’s example of a person with a giving spirit. Mayor Quiambao and wife Nina Jose-Quiambao were the special guests during the launching program for the 400th year anniversary celebration of SVFP, a program that highlighted the life and times of the town’s patron saint.