MAUBAN is an idyllic town along the coast of Lamon Bay, a body of water encompassed by the Pacific Ocean. The town was discovered in 1583 by Spanish missionaries whose primary goal was to spread Christianity particularly the Roman Catholic faith. In 1647, after several relocations, the first church building was erected in the present location and in that same period the parish of St. Bonaventure was born. From then on, the Maubanins developed their Christian faith and for about four centuries they participated in different parish activities up to the present time.

In 1982, Bishop Ruben T. Profugo was named third Bishop of the Diocese of Lucena. Under his watch several parishes were added to the diocese due to the increasing number of Catholic faithful brought about by the creation of Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) which gave further inspiration to participate in many church activities. St. Bonaventure is one example of this growth as faith and churchgoers continue to increase in the 40 barangays under its wing. As parishioners increased, the need for more pastoral work went hand in hand. It was this need that prompted Bishop Profugo to prepare Polo as a possible seat of the new parish.

On that same year, then parish priest, Rev. Msgr. Romulo K. Obviar during their regular Thursday after mass breakfast with the nuns and couple Delfin and Amparo Palacio mentioned the Bishop’s plan to the heirs of spouses Manuel Verceluz Palacio and Pomposa Laureles Almariego. The siblings readily offered to donate 4,014 square meters of a property in Polo owned by their youngest Rosario A. Palacio, who remained single and who served in the parish as “cantora” for many years. It is a way of immortalizing her as she mentioned that she wished to donate that piece of land to the church when she was still alive.

A chapel was built in the donated land in 1991 courtesy of Mr. & Mrs. Albert B. Lim. The chapel was blessed by no less than Bishop Profugo assisted by Mons. Obviar. Masses were regularly held initially on Saturday afternoon but were rescheduled on Sundays and First Fridays. Volunteers participated in pastoral activities to prepare the new parish.

Rev. Msgr. Beato S. Racelis who was Parish Priest of St. Bonaventure from 2003-2009 challenged the volunteers to start building a rectory because it is one of the requirements of Bishop Emilio Z. Marquez who took over the reins of the diocese upon the retirement of Bishop Profugo. Bishop Marquez wanted to have a rectory first before assigning a new priest in the next reshuffle of assignments. Three assistant parish priests assisted in the preparation of the new parish. With the help of many Maubanins and friends the rectory was realized in 2008. True to his promise, the good bishop installed Rev. Fr. Severino “Rekto” M. Hernandez as the first parish priest of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and simultaneously erected the new parish on February 08, 2009.

With Fr. Rekto’s inspiring and down to earth homilies which the parishioners can easily relate to combined with his untiring visits and masses on many occasions in the 17 barangays under the parish’s wing, churchgoers increased and the small chapel could no longer accommodate them even if the front church ground was utilized. Thus, a bigger church building was conceived. With Fr. Rekto, a civil engineer before becoming a priest, at the helm construction of the bigger building started in 2011.

Many Maubanins and friends untiringly supported the gargantuan project with their eager participation in many fund raising activities.

With the indefatigable vigor and dynamism of the present parish priest, Rev. Fr. Gilberto “GT” M. Talabong and despite calamities that somehow affected the town which slowed down the completion, donations continuously poured in and big time fund raising projects were supported not only by Maubanins but by his other friends as well.

The church building is complete and many are in awe of its beautiful design. The proposed air-conditioning system has still to be realized but that would be the last to be installed.

A multi-purpose building was constructed at the back of the rectory where it can serve any occasion as warranted and for a fee to augment the parish’s revenue.