In 1700, with the expansion of the Jesuits to the south of Mindanao, a Jesuit mission station was established in Ilaya. The Jesuits continued with their mission until 1768 when they had to leave Mindanao by the Royal Order of King Charles III. The parishes under their care: Zamboanga, Dapitan, Bayog, Lubungan, Dipolog, Iligan, Initao,  Ilaya, and Misamis, were taken over by the Recoletos and the diocesan clergy of Cebu. It is believed that the Augustinian Recoletos friars brought the statue of Saint Augustine in the 1700s in Ilaya in this period. The human-size carving of Saint Augustine now lies on the altar of the Saint Lawrence Church.
