At the time of the erection of the town of Moca, June 22, 1772, there were only eleven houses in the area that forms the current recreation square. In the center of it there was a small sanctuary in a humble wooden house covered with straw, under the patronage of Our Lady of Monserrate. This small sanctuary was the object of pilgrimages of the faithful from the fields of Moca, since time immemorial.
In 1841, construction began, of masonry, on the top of the hill that dominates the square, that is, in the place where the current church is located today. The Parish was inaugurated with great religious solemnity, and there were vespers and mass sung by three priests, ringing of bells and music that made the town happy. Its first parish priest was Don Manuel Martínez y Zepeda. The date of the anniversary of the foundation of the Parish corresponds to New Year's Day 1775.
The new church was consecrated on September 8, 1851, the anniversary of the town's patron saint, with great joy and noisy religious and secular celebrations, which lasted several days. The Parish was erected under the patronage of the Virgin of Monserrate and Saint John of Nepomuk. Over the years, the structure underwent several changes. In 1910, the church was in a very bad state, with the foundations undermined by more than 60 cm, large leaks, the pavement with many defects and the atrium almost destroyed. It was rebuilt with alms collected by the missionary Don Matías Usero Torrente.
In 1989, after more than 10 years of struggle, the Institute of Culture approved the remodeling and expansion of the Church, returning it to its original date, which was found in the archives of the institute. At a cost of approximately $700,000.00, thanks to the help of an entire town and under the protection of our Mother and Queen, on Friday, June 29, 1990, the Church was opened and blessed by the Bishop, H.E.R. Monsignor Ulises Casiano Vargas, in an emotional and crowded Mass and celebration of an entire town.
(Taken from the Historical Review on the Foundation and Growth of the Municipality of Moca, by Eduardo Neuman y Gandía, Doctor in Pedagogy.)