Parish History:
During the early years of Evangelization, Calabanga was first known to the natives as “Cacabalangan” bikol term for having many monkeys”, for indeed the place was inhabited by so many monkeys. Later the missionaries themselves called the place, Calabanga up to the present. Calabanga has a total land area of 163.84 sq. kms. It is located along the coastline of San Miguel Bay at the North, bounded on the East by Mt. Isarog while on the South by the Municipality of Bombon and the Bikol river stretching along the West. Municipality of Calabanga has 48 Barangays with a total Population of 73,333 having 14,114 households according to the NCSO in 2007.
Majority of the people in the place are fishermen and farmers. Calabanga is generally a coastal and agricultural place. Their major agricultural crops include rice, corn, abaca, banana, sugarcane and the likes. Lying along the coastline of San Miguel Bay, makes them to find living through fishing.
Previously, there are three existing parishes within the municipality. In 1578, the Parish of Immaculate Conception in Quipayo was established. Making Calabanga as Ecclesiastical Administration in the year 1749, the present parish church of Calabanga which is the Parish of Our Lady of La Porteria was formally constructed. The Parish of the Finding of the Holy Cross in Manguiring was established in 1701.
Since then, the creation of a new parish was continuously being considered by the Archdiocese of Caceres. Due to the increasing populace of the Municipality of Calabanga, the Parish of Our Lady of La Porteria and the Finding of the Holy Cross Parish of Manguiring deemed it beneficial for the Catholic faithful to be served well if not better with the creation of the new Parish in the year 2003.
With the creation of the new Parish, Barangay Paolbo was chosen to be seat of the new Parish Church and Rectory. Some two (3) klms from the center of Calabanga, strategically located along the main road entroute to the Municipality of Tinambac lying North East of Mt. Isarog. Barangay Paolbo is the “gateway” towards the mountain barangays situated along the slopes of Mt. Isarog. Paolbo has a total population of 3,230 according to NCSO in the year 2006, with a total number of 1198 households.
