It is said that memories make the future. This is what makes these webpages, of remembering more than half a decade of La Salette presence in the Philippines, a presence that has touched each and everyone so meaningfully. This remembering is a significant witness to La Salette presence.

Looking back a bit to the early beginning of La Salette in the Philippines, the evangelization of Isabela was started by Dominican Missionaries who came fro Tuguegarao, Cagayan as early as 1598. They first established themselves in Cabagan, the actual town of San Pablo. They went further south of Tumauini, then to Ilagan, (now Echague) down to Carig (now Santiago). Southwest of Ilagan, the heralds of the faith crossed the Cagayan river to evangelize that territory and founded the town and parish of Gamu.
 

When the Dominicans left the province after the revolution, a few diocesan priests from Ilocos came to continue their work. They were joined by the congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM or Belgian Fathers) in 1910. After the Second World War, due to lack of personnel, the Belgian Fathers were forced to leave their parishes.
 

Most Rev. Constance Jurgens, Bishop of the diocese of Tuguegarao, felt a great need for personnel in the Diocese particularly in the province of Isabela, where parishes and big communities were left without priests. Very few diocesan clergy were ministering in this province. Aglipayans and Methodists were gaining hold and their numbers were increasing. According to the official census, there were 269,495 inhabitants in Isabela, 65% of the total number of population were Catholics in contrast to the other provinces, which had a general average of 80% and above. Thus in 1946, Bishop Jurgens sent an urgent plea to Religious Congregations all over the world.
 

As soon as the Congregation of Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette approved the creation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province, this newly created province discussed its missionary commitment. There were two possibilities – either to help out in Madagascar or to open a completely new mission. The province opted to send Fr. Elmeric Dubois, the Provincial Superior to visit with Bishop Jurgens.

In 1948, Fr. Joseph Imholf, the Superior General granted the permission to the province of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to establish the Philippine mission.

On November 5, 1948, four La Salette Missionaries, Fr. Conrad Blanchet, Fr. Raymond Leduc, Fr. Paul Douillard and Bro. Donat Levasseur left New York. They reached Manila on December 12. They finally arrived in Santiago, Isabela on the 22^nd of December 1948.

The first La Salette to take care of the parish of Saint James in Santiago, Isabela (now Santiago City) was Fr. Blanchet. He said his first mass in this parish on Christmas Eve, 1948. By this time, big Christian communities such as Cordon, Saguday, Ramon, Diffun, Maddela and Aglipay were being taken care of. 

Fr. Paul Douillard was the first La Salette missionary assigned in St. Matthew, San Mateo, Isabela.. He stayed with the Diego Family and celebrated his first mass  also on Christmas Eve in the old house of Don Mateo Cadeliña.

The first La Salette who worked in Jones was Fr. Raymond Leduc, who was also in charge of Cordon since 1949. The parish was practically Aglipayan. Organizing this parish was especially difficult because barrios could only be reached by bancas and horses.

Bishop Constance Jurgens, D.D.