The Beginning as narrated by Nating Edang.
Before the creation of the parish of St. Vincent Ferrer, there was a chapel built in Santa Ana (an old name of the present day Brgy. Poblacion) where a certain Fr. Bacante used to say Holy Mass once a month. Fr. Bacante was the parish priest of Jordan municipality but because of his concern for the people of Valencia (Nueva Valencia) he would travel to that place every month. In any other days, cases like baptism, wedding or to receive Communion or Extreme Unction, people would go to Jordan.
It was in that setting that some people in Brgy. Igang planned to construct a church in their place. They put up wooden posts for the building but on the following day, much to their surprise, the posts were all uprooted and lay on the ground. This went on for several occasions. Taking it as an omen, they decided to construct a chapel in Sta. Ana. A small building was then constructed.
One incident happened in that chapel. A woman named Tomasa Liboon whose house was near the chapel chanced one day as she looked out of the window, to see a strange boy walking towards the chapel. She followed the boy as he entered the building and there inside, she saw the boy whose head was encircled with dazzling lights like that of St. Vincent Ferrer.
Tomas Liboon told the people about the incident. A meeting was called and the people decided to build a bigger building in the site where today the house of Antonio Galgo stands, near the site of the Nueva Valencia National High School.
The Story of the Spanish Priest.
Another story tells about a Spanish priest assigned to the church who occasionally go to Iloilo to render report to his superiors. Travels during that time was on foot or on horseback until Nagaba and from there one had to take a sailboat.
It was in one instance that while he was in Iloilo, there was a strong typhoon and the priest was not able to return because of the the danger of crossing the strait. The inclement weather lasted for three days and the parishioners were concerned for the safety of the priest.
During the lull of the storm one night, a religious woman whose house overlooked the church, happened to see a figure dressed in the cassock of the priest, entering the church. She thought it was the priest who had arrived home. She told her husband about it. Come the next day, Sunday, the couple went to church for confession but the church is empty and no priest could be found. They searched everywhere but the priest was nowhere around. It was then that the woman noticed the life-like statue of St. Vincent Ferrer. The statue looked very much like the figure of the man she saw that night entering the church.
When the priest returned, the couple related the incident. The priest in turn had his own experience. While there in Iloilo, he wanted very much to return. On his dream, St. Vincent Ferrer advised him to wait until the storm subsides. The saint told him he will be the one to take care of the church.
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Many years went by and the good patron saint has taken care of the faithful in the parish. To express their gratitude, the people of Nueva Valencia observe his feast day every 25th of April. St. Vincent Ferrer Parish of Nueva Valencia is under the Vicariate of St. Bartholomew, Archdiocese of Jaro.
