San Jacinto de Polonia image in Pangasinan has been missing for 7 years

The original image of San Jacinto de Polonia in San Jacinto, Pangasinan has been missing for the past seven years.

It was in 2019 when devotees first noticed that the image of San Jacinto de Polonia at the church looked different, according to a report by Russel Simorio on GMA Regional TV One North Central Luzon on Monday.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas then formed an ad hoc team composed of Bishop Fidelis Layog, Fr. Rafael Cruz, and Fr. Melquiades Serraon to investigate the matter.

The team found out that the current image at the church is different from that shown in photos in the archives.

"The team has concluded based on empirical data that the current image in the side retablo of the said parish church is different from the available photos of the image of the saint available from the parish archives particularly the slant of the head," Villegas said in a circular dated August 17 this year.

The team said the images may have been switched during a repainting project.

"Based on the chronology related to the repainting project of the image, the switching of images could have happened between the 17th of August to the 23rd of September 2016," Villegas said.

"I have mandated the parish priest to explore all means to recover the missing image of San Jacinto de Polonia in the parish church," he added.

The archbishop also appealed to those who may have had a hand in the original image's switching to return the said item to the church.

"As we commend the Catholic faithful who brought the matter to our attention for their vigilance, let me also appeal to those who have lent cooperation to the switching of the images to listen to the voice of conscience and restore the image to its rightful owner, the Catholic Church," Villegas said. —KG, GMA Integrated News