When I was studying in UP Diliman and away from home at 16, me and my friends would walk from Kalayaan during freshmen year or from Molave to the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice. It's an open type of chapel, it's round or circular and the altar is at the center. We spent Sundays praying for good grades or passing grades, for friendship, for protection, for love ... a college student's usual wish. Those cool simbang gabi masses we used to go, wishing for Christmas to come because it means going home once again!
Here is a pic of the church which I just got from the internet. I can't seem to find my own photos.
After college, I went home and worked in Cebu for 2yrs but had to leave home once again and look for work in Manila. I got to work in an MNC, Unilever Phils., and was initially based in Makati near Bel-Air. Reposo St., now renamed as Nicanor Garcia St., is one of the most beautiful streets in Makati for me. It's a long 2-way street with trees lining the whole stretch and lots of local restos, places of interest.
What's great about Reposo is that, the St Andrew The Apostle Church is in the middle of it and lucky me, this church is just a walk away from my place in Makati (good 5-10min walk). I love this church, more the people and the parish priests that run the church. It's very orderly, the choir has very good choice of songs -- I only sing during Holy Mass, families come to pray and celebrate, it always felt good clapping my hands after every Sunday mass. The parish had a lot of activities for the community, relevant ones like values education for household help, there were always announcement of LSS activities ... it makes you feel you belong to this community!
But what I cannot forget were the roses given to Mothers on Mother's Day, how the priest would sing a song for them, the special blessings given to married couples on Valentine's Day, those special ceremonies that made the church reach out to the mass-goers --- this was a community, a parish indeed. The church is semi-circle in shape, now it's fully air-conditioned but before when I started going there in 1998 it was just the electric fans ...
Here is an outside pic of the St Andrew, again I got this from the internet images. Despite the 5-6yrs we stayed in Makati we never got to take a pic of this church.
When we transferred to Mandaluyong, we still continued to go to St Andrew. It always felt like home for Bri and Me. On a Sunday this church would be a good 15min drive.
When mom got sick and there were days it became unbearable and I just needed to pray and talk to God, to ask for strength, for healing ... I would drive to St Andrew but then it closes at 9pm and from the office in Manila, would only give me 30min inside the church. I would like a candle and pray outside. This church has been part of my life, when in Manila I would always try to find time to go to mass here.
As the years passed, and I spent my alone years in Manila with Bri starting his practice in Cebu. Driving to Makati became hard for me, hard because I had to do all the chores at the condo. I needed to save time. So I started going to the Edsa Shrine, yes, people would probably say, that's a mall-church. I was skeptical, St Andrew was hard to beat. This church is a good 10min away, shorter than Makati.
But surprisingly, the Edsa Shrine is a parish of it's own. Yes, I may not see the routine families who go to the 10am mass in St Andrew every Sunday but the sense of community was very much alive. The choir's choice of popular songs made it easy for me to transition to the new parish! The people who go (at least to the 930am mass), seem to be really praying, praising and celebrating the mass. This was important for me. I do not like going to church with seatmates just discussing their daily lives!
On days, I felt lonely, all alone in the big city, I would drive there, pray, attend mass. Just sit and pray! The church is actually so comforting despite the big mall beside it.
An inside pic of the Edsa Shrine altar, the cross is greenish glass. I got this from the internet again.
Now back in Cebu, and when we're here, we would go to San Nicolas parish near the Pasil & Taboan (fish market). Mom served this church as a member of YLAC (Young Ladies Association for Charity). She would don her gray uniform every Sunday for the 9am mass and take care of collection. It came natural for me to go there when I got back home.
It's a big church, very airy, it's old and it participates in the "sugat fluvial parade" during the Feast of the Sto. Nino every January. I love this church as well, because it's not pretentious, people go there to pray, to give thanks to celebrate! It is a community, and I love going there because of this. Same as St Andrew, there are the "regulars" who you may not know their names but know their faces as you go bow down, smile and say, "peace be with you".
Here is a pic of the inside of San Nicolas, grabbed from the internet. I can't seem to find the pic I posted in FB.
So I guess, we go to a certain church because the place, the people have meaning to you. I wish for those who have not made it a habit to spend an hour with God every week to seek out that place of comfort where you want to worship, pray, give thanks and celebrate!
Mrs Jane B.
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