Last January, during the momentous celebration of our 150th Parish Anniversary and the Opening of the Jubilee Door, the official Coat of Arms of our parish was formally unveiled!
Know what the symbols inside the coat of arms mean.
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
by. Bro. Kendrick Ivan B. Panganiban
of DOMVS AVREA Ecclesiastical Designs
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป – The overall tincture (color) of the shield is Azure (blue), depicting the color of Marian devotion, particularly to Mary as the Immaculate Conception. The shield itself is placed over a Cerulean backยญground. Cerulean is a particular shade of blue that is allowed for use in the liturgy of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conยญception through a papal indult given to Mother Spain and all former Hispanic colonies, which include the Philippines. The sextofoil in Argent (silver) in the form of both a flower and a star over a half-crescent moon refers to the Blessed Virgin Maยญry as the Immaculate Conception. As noted in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 12, Verse 1: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” This visage has been known in the tradition of the Church as depicting the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต – The symbols found at the sinister base of the shield refer to the heritage of the paยญrish of Macalelon. The two lands in Vert (green) between the sea in undies of Azure (silver) refer to the coast of Macalelon, Queยญzon in the Bondoc Peninsula with the waters of the Tayabas Bay at the coast with the island of Marinduque looking on as Macaยญlelon is one of the towns of Quezon facing the island. The coconut palm tree refers to the Province of Quezon and the Diocese of Gumaca. The coconut palm is a large industry in the province and it is present in the coats of arms of the Diocese and its mother Diocese of Lucena. The tree is also significant for Macalelon as the name of the town is related to it. According to legend, the name Macalelon came from a man resting under a shady tree .. asked by a group of Spaniards .. what is the name of the place .. the man thought he was asked why he was there at that place. He answered .. Makanlong po .. (under the shade of a tree). The name “Makanlong” passed by word of mouth from one to another, until it became Macalelong, and later, Macalelon. The hill also corresยญponds to the hilly terrain of the church and that there are stairs going towards the church. The two bells refer to the call of God to His people through the sound of the Church’s signal of holiness. These also refer to the heritage of the church as it is one of the heritage churches of the province with a coral stone facade. The sexfoil also reminds us of the unique floral designs which could be found at the door of the church facade. The Tau Cross signifies the foundation of the Church by the Order of Friars Minor or the Franciscans. The moon referring to the Immaculate Conception also refers to Fray Lucas de la Concepcion, OFM who founded the barrio in 1696. The moon is half crescent referring to Fray Jose Medio, OFM, being its first minister in 1793. Medio means “half” in Spanish. The pilgrim’s cross refers to the Most Rev. Euginius L. Caรฑete, MJ, D.D., Fourth Bishop of Gumaca in whose incumbenยญcy this coat of arms was made when the parish was designated as pilgrimage church of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Church in 2025.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ผ – The motto found below the shield is the Latin phrase “GRATA SUPERABUNDAVIT” which is found in the Letยญter of St. Paul to the Romans, Chapter V, Verse XX. It means “Grace abounds the more”. Its complete statements is “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:20-21). This statement was used by the Franciscan scholar Blessed Duns Scotus in the defense of the doctrine of Immaculate Conception, referring to the historic promotion of the Franciscan orยญder on the Marian doctrine which eventually became a Dogma as definied by Pope Blessed Piux IX in 1854. The Franciscans already dedicated the church of Macalelon even as a barrio in the year 1696, which was added to the village of Mayoboc (now Pitogo, Quezon) the following year of 1697 without a resident minister. The parish was established in 1875 at the time when the Immaculate Conception was defined as a dogma by the friars of the same order.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐- The year 1875 refers to the establishment of the community as an independent parish.
