07/07/2026
Birhen sa Kalooy Chapel Renovation Officially Begins with Successful Groundbreaking Ceremony
BENTIG, CALAPE, BOHOL (June 27, 2026) โ The Birhen sa Kalooy Association and the descendants of Maximino Dumayac and Baldomera Borong successfully held the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the renovation of the Birhen sa Kalooy Chapel on Saturday, June 27, 2026, marking another important chapter in the preservation of one of Bohol's enduring Marian devotions.
The day's celebration began with a Holy Mass celebrated by Rev. Fr. Edsil P. Pagulon, Resident Priest of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Inabanga, Bohol. Following the Mass, devotees, descendants, guests, and community members joined a solemn procession from the existing chapel to the site of the groundbreaking.
Fr. Pagulon led the Blessing of the Groundbreaking Site and the symbolic materials to be placed beneath the chapel foundation, invoking God's guidance and the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary upon the construction of the renovated chapel. The celebration
The formal program was followed by messages of support from government representatives, community leaders, and the Dumayac family.
Governor Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado and the Province of Bohol were represented by Mr. Ian Bomeniado, who conveyed the Governor's message of congratulations and continued support for the project.
Likewise, Mayor Junie Yu of the Municipality of Calape was on a previously scheduled municipal Mass Wedding. Representing the Mayor was Councilor Ayen Dumadag Veloso, who delivered the municipality's message of encouragement and support.
Representing the host community were Barangay Captain Amado Samijon and the members of the Barangay Council of Bentig, who reaffirmed the barangay's commitment to preserving the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Birhen sa Kalooy.
The architectural vision for the chapel renovation was presented by Ar. Lindsay Ann Valeree Clarin Cimeni, UAP and Ar. Khelvin John M. Arado, UAP of LAV ArC.hitects + Plumbing Design Build, highlighting a design that honors the history of the devotion while providing a more functional and welcoming place of worship for future generations.
One of the ceremony's most meaningful moments was the Time Capsule Ceremony. Historical records, the complete architectural plans of the chapel, holy water, blessed salt, St. Benedict Medallions, and other commemorative items were carefully placed inside the time capsule. After being solemnly sealed, it was attached to a pulley system and ceremonially lowered beneath the future chapel foundation, preserving for future generations a tangible record of the faith, history, and hopes of today's community.
The ceremony concluded with the Ceremonial Shovel Turn, during which clergy, government representatives, barangay officials, project architects, officers of the Birhen sa Kalooy Association, and representatives of the Dumayac family donned ceremonial hard hats and jointly turned the first soil, officially signifying the beginning of the chapel renovation.
The Birhen sa Kalooy devotion traces its roots to the oral tradition surrounding Maximino Dumayac, a humble farmer and fisherman from Sitio Kalooy, Barangay Bentig, Calape. According to family tradition preserved through generations, he repeatedly caught a fluted giant clam in his fishing net despite throwing it back into the sea several times. After bringing the shell home and responding to a dream calling his family to prayer, the shell gradually revealed a naturally formed image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Over time, the family's humble home became a place of prayer for devotees seeking the loving intercession of what came to be known as the Birhen sa Kalooy.
For generations, the descendants of Maximino Dumayac and Baldomera Borong have faithfully safeguarded this devotion. Today, the Pedro, Antonio, Ruperto, Jesusa, and Anatalio families continue that responsibility through the Birhen sa Kalooy Association, working together to preserve the chapel, protect its history, and strengthen the faith of present and future generations.
The Association expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the Office of the Governor of Bohol, the Office of the Mayor of Calape, the Barangay Local Government Unit of Bentig, Rev. Fr. Edsil P. Pagulon, LAV ArC.hitects + Plumbing Design Build, benefactors, volunteers, devotees, and all members of the Dumayac family whose unwavering support made the successful groundbreaking ceremony possible.
As construction begins, the Birhen sa Kalooy Association invites the faithful to continue praying for the successful completion of the chapel renovation and to remain united in preserving this cherished legacy of faith for generations to come.
This year's groundbreaking also carried several remarkable historical connections. Based on the oral history preserved by the descendants of Maximino Dumayac and the family's genealogy, the discovery of the miraculous shell is believed to have occurred approximately 125 to 130 years ago, making the renovation of the Birhen sa Kalooy Chapel a meaningful milestone in the devotion's enduring history. Providentially, the ceremony was held on June 27, the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, one of the most widely celebrated Marian feast days in the Catholic Church.
The occasion also echoed the devotion's earliest traditions. Oral history recounts that Maximino often traveled to the fishing waters of Inabanga, where he repeatedly caught the shell that would later reveal the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was also through dreams experienced by people from Inabanga that the first visitors were led to Bentig in search of the miraculous shell. More than a century later, the Holy Mass for the groundbreaking was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Edsil P. Pagulon of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Inabanga, a meaningful connection that many of the faithful present regarded as a beautiful reminder of the Birhen sa Kalooy's enduring legacy of faith.
Birhen sa Kalooy Association
Sitio Kalooy, Barangay Bentig
Calape, Bohol
