A poor coastal Parish along the Pacific wishing for a simple motor boat!

Away from the hustle of the busiest urban centers in Bicol, situated at the heart of the remote coastal barangays and islands in North Coastal Lagonoy, is the first and only island Parish in the Archdiocese of Caceres: The Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish, in Balaton, Lagonoy, Camarines Sur, Philippines. https://goo.gl/HmwGss

Idyllic. Inviting. Nature-blessed. The place is a magnet for travelers looking for the requisite three R's. Reflection, Rest and Recreation. A fourth R is, like it or not, an added challenge, Remote.

The pilgrimage to Balaton Parish is an exercise of faith and endurance, more than anything else.

From the capital city of Naga, Camarines Sur, one takes the van or the local jeep en route to the Port of Tamban, Tinambac. Two hours later, the road trip ends where the sea voyage by motorized boat begins.

The once-a-day commute by “lantsa”, as it is traditionally called, leaves at 9:00 A.M. 

On board or top load, the boat passes through sparsely populated yet scenic coastal communities in another two hours, more or less.

After coasting along that portion of the Pacific Ocean, where wave as high as five meters is a common experience during the north east monsoon season,

one reaches the island to catch a first glimpse of the grey and green roofed structure that now the gentle “Ina”, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, in her Parish home away from Naga.

The view is exhilarating. A refreshing breather that makes the long journey worth all the hassle (Kindly just click the play button of the video).

Canonically erected in 2005 under the direction of the late Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi of the Order of Preachers.

The Parish Church is architecturally designed with a Neo-Gothic influence in its overall structure.

Being a coastal Parish, poverty and accessibility are not the only challenges. The issue of faith is even bigger. For so long a time, the whole area of Balaton Parish, used to be an important seat of the schismatic Aglipayan or Philippine Independent Church. To this day seventy percent of the population is Aglipayan. Hence the need for Catholic Mission work is bigger here.

Since the installation of the current Parish Priest in 2012, the drive to attract more believers to the Catholic fold has become an intensive priority, as it chooses to conduct formations such as the: Basic Ecclessial Communities, Parish Renewal Experience and Youth Formations.

Motor boat is the only means of transportation in going to the coastal/island communities that are under the jurisdiction of the Parish in Balaton.

As much as the current Parish Priest would like to frequently conduct Masses and formations to his flock, it could not be done. The engine and the haul of the old motor boat that the Parish owned could no longer be restored, it sank and was destroyed during a recent typhoon in the area.

Being in a remote coastal Parish, a parish-owned motor boat is obviously an urgent need in order to facilitate efficient service to its Parishioners.

So, their only wish as of this time, is just a SIMPLE Motor boat.

Hence, we invite you to help us to make our dream of a new Parish-owned motor boat a most tangible reality. The total project cost, the engine and the outrigger boat is: 151,700.00 Php(3,186.49 USD).

Through this Parish motor boat, may Our Lady of Peñafrancia's motherly intercession inspire you to generously share your resources for the realization of the dream of this island Parish.

Thank you and God Bless you.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Fr. Mayo Cesar G. Herrera

Parish Priest

Nota Bene: 

 The endorsement letter of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Caceres

-Should you decide to be of help, you can contact the Parish Priest on his e-mail address which is: mayocesar@yahoo.com

-His mobile phone number is:(+63)9281941745.

-He could also be easily reached through private message on his face book account which is: https://www.facebook.com/mayo.cesar. 

You can also tweet on him on his twitter account which is:https://twitter.com/mayocesar

ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE PROJECT AND REPORTING PROCEDURE

The Parish Priest will oversee the over-all project management. The reports will be noted by the Archbishop of Caceres. The Parish of Our Lady of Penafrancia through its Parish Priest and the Parish Pstoral Council as the proponents of the Project will assume the full responsibility of the project. The Parish shall have its own skipper/boat mechanic that will be directly supervised by the Parish Priest.