The Mission of the PME Fathers

The Project for a Seminary


The PME Fathers came from Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Society of the PME Fathers was invited to help develop the Catholic Mission in Mindanao to be particularly assigned to the three provinces of Davao.At the turn of the century and in the first three decades, Davao was a virgin land. Gradually Filipinos from Luzon and the Visayas migrated to make a living in these regions of Mindanao.There were no priests; it there were, they were only very few to walk the forests of the second largest island of the Philippines.Then the PME Fathers arrived in 1937. One of them was Clovis Thibault, who later became the first bishop of the Diocese of Davao, then the three Provinces. He became the champion for the native clergy education and for the seminary.

The first thing the PME Fathers did was to establish parishes and churches. World War 2 interrupted and slowed down the mission for a while. But the missionary momentum gained after the liberation and the granting of the Philippine Independence in 1946.Migrants from all over the Philippines continued to come, building communities and towns; the PME Society brought in more priests, following the development of towns. Where towns were built, so also the Catholic Parishes with churches and schools were constructed.

It was clear in the mind of the PME Fathers that one day the Filipino Native clergy would take over the management of the Catholic Church; and that it was a priority in their mission to build a seminary and educate the future priests of the Diocese of Davao. As early as the first years of the fifties, the Fathers were already scouting for seminarians, spotting the best and the brightest students of Catholic and Public Schools. Housed in a temporary residence, the first batch gathered and studied at the Ateneo High School.The first Rector of the Seminary was Fr. Louis-Charles Sabourin. I would remember the names of Acasio and Jun Llanos, all from Digos, Camina, and the other pioneers in the names of Rogelio Antalan of Samal, Ben Benedicto of Davao City, Jun Fernandez of Digos, Isaac Gravador of Digos, Jesus Albacite of Tagum, Ed Rodriguez, Vicente Abranica of Tagum, Buen of Dapecol, Lazo and Tusoy of Calinan.The first batch of seminarians would later take theology studies in Manila.

The St. Francis Minor Seminary was built in 1955, and became occupied in 1956. It was named after the patron saint of the PME Society. The next Rector was Fr. Bazinet. The Saint Francis Xavier Major Seminary for Theological studies would not be ready until 1964. The pioneers of the new Minor Seminary at Catalunan Grande were names like Arthur Fernandez, Ric Merquita, Ruben Berondo, Manuel Ymalay, Rey Sorongon, Llanillo Lewylen,Frank Alvarez, Bonifacio Burlaza, Lito Lorenzana, Gabriel Catalan, and a few more. I came in as a later pioneer of the Seminary in 1959.

The early teachers of the Seminary were:

These Fathers at one time or another taught in the Saint Francis Xavier Seminary. They brought with them top quality high school and college education as professional teachers in Latin languages, English, Astronomy, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. and the Philosophies. In the Major Seminary, we also had Father Denis, Father Paredis, Father Picard, Father Tetrault. I think the pioneer seminarians between 1956 to 1974 got the best and worldclass education of the times from the PME fathers.



The Saint Francis Xavier Seminary as a new experience

The communities in Mindanao as a growing Filipino people was new; all Catholic Priests were foreigners from Canada. They were young French Canadians, very generous souls, going away far from home to be missionaries. There were few American and Filipino Jesuit priests running the Ateneo de Davao College. The coming of seminarians to become future Filipino Diocesan Priests in Davao would be a new experience to all of us seminarians and Catholics of Davao Provinces. The first priests ordained were already in the sixties with Father Acasio, Father Banzon, Father Camenia; later, Father Buen, Father Antalan, Father Lazo, Father Tusoy, Father Nabayra, Father Birondo, Father Jose Sison.

It was in these times in Mindanao and Davao that the Saint Francis Xavier Minor Seminary and the Saint Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary would continue to educate and graduate priests and ex-seminarians up to today.At the beginning and for many years, the seminaries were manned with the PME Fathers.Today since 1974, these are run by Filipino priests.

However, today, most dioceses in Mindanao have their own College Seminary. There are now three Major Seminaries in Mindanao, one in Ozamis, opened in 1980, and the third one is in Cagayan de Oro, opened in 1985. Since then hundreds of priests were educated and became priests from these seminaries, and also many hundreds more of ex-seminarians came out of these seminaries. The talents and energies of these ex-seminarians and ex-priests remain untapped by the Catholic Church.

The foundation of Seminaries first in Davao is one of the major legacies and contributions of the PME Socity in Davao and in Mindanao.( by JP Mercado, Jr., updated 5/1/2000)

This chapel was built in the early sixties.



The buildings were finally occupied as new in 1958.