history

It was never in the plans of the bishop or the priests to have a parish at Tutujan. It just came about by the plans of God.

Before World War II and the occupation of Japanese military forces, there had been a small chapel at Sinajana where people assembled more for novenas than for other services. A number of families, both in Sinajana and Tutujan, hadtheir own private chapels, as the Cruz's, the Lujan's and the Salas', usually named in honor of Santa Maria or the Holy Cross.

When the Japanese forces sent the Catholic missionaries as prisoners to Japan and took over the Cathedral, Father Oscar Calvo kept the Blessed Sacrament at the Cruz chapel, saying Mass there whenever possible. The Japanese priest who came later also said Mass there. Many religious articles from the Cathedral, San Antonio, and Korason Jesus (Anigua) were below the altar as well as in the home of Tun Kiko Cruz for safekeeping.

After the liberation of Guam by the U.S. military forces in 1944, Father Calvo lived in his parents' home and said Mass in the Cruz chapel until the temporary church at Sinajana was built. When Bishop Apollinaris W. Baumgartner arrived with Father Paul and Father Anselm, one of these would go to Tutujan to say Mass. Often, one of the Catholic chaplains, who were most helpful to the various villages at this time, would also use the chapel.

The bishop began assigning names to those chapels that seemed to be permanent, and the people of Tutujan --- or Agana Heights as the Americans called it --- insisted on having a title of Santa Maria. Since the bishop believed that it was the only place on Guam that the Blessed Sacrament had been preserved throughout World War II and the occupation of Japanese forces, he called the chapel, "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament."

--- Excerpted from Silver Jubilee of the Church of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Agana Heights Parish souvenir booklet, Agana Heights, Guam, November 1976

By GUS DELGADO

Chairman, Building Renovations Committee (1995)

The decision to build a new church structure began in March, 1947, when Father Raymond Demers, O.F.M., Cap., held parish meetings to discuss this important project. It was a project which Father Julius Sullivan, O.F.M., Cap., took over in August, 1947, when he was assigned pastor of the Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament parish.

To provide funding for the project, Father Julius began major fund-raisers every Thanksgiving fiesta. His concern regarding land on which to build the church was answered miraculously when Tun Kiko and Tan Chong Cruz donated the land where the church now stands. Plans and specs were drawn up for a 130- feet-by-50-feet reinforced concrete structure. In April, 1947, ground was broken and the project commenced.

The proposed site was cleared and trenches measuring four feet by six inches deep were dug. The bird's-eye view of the foundation revealed a huge cross measuring 130 feet long by 50 feet wide with 10-foot wings. Rebars the size of a man's thumb were installed in mesh forms with vertical bars extending beyond the proposed thickness of the foundation. Concrete mix enveloping these rebar meshes were then poured and with the foundation in place, the Church of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament started to take shape. Soon, we all thought, we will see rise from the location a marvelous structure befitting the King of Kings.

But this soon took a back seat to "maybe" and the "never." The contractor who started the project was unable to continue it due to lack of funds to meet payroll. As days turned to weeks and weeks to months, weeds and vines began covering the trenches, inviting young boys to explore this jungle of concrete, rebars and formworks. Jumping across the four-feet-wide trenches with rebars sticking up became a favorite challenge which every boy my age took up with pleasure. Some didn't make it and got abrasions, but a lot made it through easily.

With the transfer of Msgr. Oscar L. Calvo from Inarajan to Agana Heights in November, 1949, a new complexion to the project evolved. Monsignor Calvo set in motion the mechanics to get the church building construction off the ground. He engaged the services of Mr. Vicente I. Salas of Agana Heights to supervise the construction. With a small crew of carpenters and the assistance of Agana Heights Commissioner Juan Pangelinan and a lot of volunteer laborers, the church building construction project took a new lease on life. It began to breathe. And with every breath, it started to take shape.

To young boys my age, the commencement of construction activities was fun time. Working every day at the site was fun because it was like having a fiesta every evening during work week and a whole day of fiesta during Saturdays.

The jobs were varied but the most-memorable one was when the walls were being poured. After the forms for the walls were erected, young boys like Jose S. Cepeda, Tony Artero, Jesus, Jose and Frank Delgado, Fidel Blas, and many others were tasked with the concrete mix detail.

At ground level, cement was mixed with sand and aggregate and afterwards loads of concrete mix were transferred to wheelbarrows for pouring. Jose Cepeda remembered having to push the wheelbarrow up a long plank until it reached the top, where it was wheeled to the appropriate wall. Joe got help from other boys whose job was to pull the rope tied to the front of the wheelbarrow. Other boys were assigned to pick up pebbles for the mix. Tony Artero recalled being assigned to load his pickup truck with beach sand and transport it from Asan to Agana Heights. There were numerous times when his truck broke down and he had to wait until help arrived.

Members of the Agana Heights Rangers fastpitch softball team, whose manager was Juan Garcia, all helped out during the peak construction period. What was so gratifying to know was quite a few Rangers were Protestants, but they pitched in just as much as the Catholics. Even to this day, one prominent member of the Ranger organization is still actively working for the parish. He was an outstanding pitcher and an all-around helpful person, Ralph Sukola.

Also just as memorable was the delicious fiesta food prepared by the Christian Mothers and other ladies of the parish. Food, such as red rice, broiled chicken, fritada, golai apan chotda and many others were served all to the satisfaction of many grateful workers.

Credits for these fine foods during the construction of the church go to numerous people. The parish was divided into sections and each section took turns providing and cooking the meals. Merienda and dinner times were reserved for socializing and story telling. The Chamorro culture was indeed evident back then.

One year and one month after the work began, the church building shell was completed. Mr. Jose Lujan of Anigua, an uncle of Msgr. Calvo, was tasked to do the finishing. Again, the people of Agana Heights came through with happy labor. The material used for the doors, door jambs, pews, railings (now removed), and cross was ifil wood, a very hard, termite-resistant material indigenous to the island. Mr. Antonio Artero, Sr., donated all the wood to the church. This wood was survived all major disasters which have hit the island since 1951.

The historical narrative of the Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church would not be completed without due recognition to those skilled and talented people who worked long hours to get this project done in time. These were: Ben Salas, Santiago Castro, Manuel Garrido, Felix Salas, Jaime Santos and Ricardo Salas. Payments for labor were made by Jose Torres, grandfather of First Lady Geri Gutierrez. Augusto P. Cruz, oldest son of Francisco and Chong Cruz, was the paymaster.

Father Julius Sullivan, who authored the book titled, "Phoenix Rises," described the completed project thusly: "When the interior was finished with skillfully boxed-in roof trusses, ifil wood doors and benches, tile floor and areas of colored glass in the clerestory, the new church was a thing of beauty. What was started amid the sorrows of war and gone forward haltingly amid the heartaches of the reconstruction period has become a joy."

On Laetare Sunday, March 4, 1951, the Church of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was dedicated by Bishop Apollinaris W. Baumgarter. Al Waller and Rosita Lujan became the very first couple to be solemnly united in Holy Matrimony in the new church building. Al was one of those happy laborers who helped build the church.

Since its dedication in 1951, this House of God built from the headaches, bodyaches and sweat of men, women and children of Agana Heights has served its purpose many times over.

In 1976, its roof was damaged by Typhoon Pamela. Repaired shortly thereafter, it continued to function as a church until 1985 when the whole roofing section, floor tiles and lighting were replaced. In the meantime, while the church was under renovation, the parish used the Fatima Hall for masses. A much deserved credit for the major roof replacement and repair of the church in 1985 goes to the people of Agana Heights and the Fatima Hall Committee for spearheading the project.

In 1982, a series of supertyphoons once again caused damage to the roof. The damage to the roof was repaired and the church was again reused. On Aug. 8, 1993, Guam was hit by an earthquake whose magnitude was 8.2 on the Richter Scale, causing apparent damage, but corrosion of rebars was magnified and concrete pieces soon started to fall, causing major concern. A decision was made in early 1995 to do a major renovation.

Through the urging of Juan Garcia and other members of the parish, Father Eugene O'Hara called a special meeting to address the repair/renovation of not only the church building but the Fatima Hall and grounds. A fundraising committee was formed to raise $500,000 needed for the repair/renovation projects. Chaired by First Lady Geri Gutierrez and co-chaired by Toni Sanford, the committee had great progress towards achieving its goal.

Assisting the renovation committee in the architectural and engineering aspects were the firms of Augusto S. Delgado and Associates, Inc., and GMP Associates. Augusto S. Delgado and Associates worked on all the electrical and mechanical design and consultation while GMP Associates handled the architectural, structural and civil design and consultation. These firms provided their services free of charge.

The church renovation consisted of roof leak repairs, concrete wall repair, new doors, concrete fences and air conditioning of the entire church, plus an addition to the present structure. The addition was a chapel, built behind the sacristy, large enough to accommodate between 50 to 75 persons. The committee in charge of the renovation was confident that the useful life of the church building would be greatly enhanced once repairs were completed. The people of Agana Heights will definitely celebrate the church's 50th anniversary in the same building.

Biba Santa Maria!

From the 45th Anniversary Celebration (1950-1995), Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, Agana Heights, souvenir booklet