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Many of us, who grew up in Lipa and its neighbor towns, commonly heard of or encountered San Sebastian in our daily lives. Yet, we never really knew who he is, or who he was, and what he was all about. For many, he was just a statue tied to a tree whose naked, lifeless body is dotted with arrow wounds.
For one, the huge Neo-Renaissance cathedral that stands as Lipa’s major landmark is named after San Sebastian. There used to be a big hospital in the center of town, along Recto Avenue, that also went by the name, San Sebastian.
Records claim that San Sebastian became the patron of Lipa when the Augustinians founded the parish in 1605. The missionaries saw in him a soldier who stood firm in faith, a model for a frontier town learning Christianity.
For more than four centuries, San Sebastian has remained the spiritual protector of Lipa. His arrows remind the faithful of pain, but also of faith that survives.
But, who really was this man, this saint, whose presence dominated our lives throughout our growing up years?
It took a recent performance, a theatrical musical play, for us to finally get acquainted with Lipa’s patron saint. The 45-minute play, presented by Lipa Actors Company headed by Luisito Nario, on January 11 at the Metropolitan Cathedral itself, kicked off this year’s 11-day fiesta celebration that culminated on January 20.
Prior, the anticipated town ball was held January 19, crowning lawyer Bea Charisse Maravilla as the 2026 Mutya ng Lipa.
San Sebastian: The Musical opens with a high-energy song and dance production number wherein a young boy asks his father why their town is celebrating its fiesta. The father explains the villagers are celebrating the life of San Sebastian, a Roman soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice by defending Christianity against Roman rulers during his lifetime, around 255-288 AD.
Sebastian rose to become captain of the Praetorian Guard in Rome. While defending his faith, Sebastian secretly aided Christians during persecution under Emperor Diocletian. He was shot with arrows and left for dead.
Despite having been badly wounded, Sebastian miraculously survived the sentence. He was nursed back to health by a kind woman, allowing him to resume his evangelization mission.
After surviving the arrows, he confronted the emperor again.
The emperor once again issued an ordinance to finally execute Sebastian.
This time he was stripped of his garments, tied to a tree, targeted by soldiers firing arrows, and beaten to death.
His courage made him one of the most revered martyrs of the early Church. His feast day is January 20, celebrated worldwide.
Theme of the 2026 celebration is San Sebastian: Gabay sa Pagkakaisa at Pananampalataya ng mga Lipeno.
The musical play is directed by Perry Santiago, with music by Fernando Silva and book by Luisito Nario. Producer is Joel Umali Pena.
Pena, president of Lipa City Tourism Council and businessman behind Big Ben Complex, says Lipenos can draw inspiration from the life of St. Sebastian, a simple man who received divine intervention.
“His life teaches us how to be good, how to be holy against all odds, being maka-Diyos,” according to Pena.
Pena cites a takeaway from the story of San Sebastian: “A life of sacrifice rooted on deep faith can lead to sainthood. Everyone, even sinners, can become saints.”
Other related activities in line with Lipa City’s fiesta celebration include:
A Grand Float Parade.
High mass at San Sebastian Cathedral.
San Sebastian Procession.
Plaza Independencia Concert and Fireworks Display.
Drum and Lyre competition.
Choral Competition at Flavors of Lipa.