Man’s sweetest aim in life is to commune with his Creator, to be in a place of unity and peace, celebrating Him with other people. In the dizzying pace of today’s world, finding such a place, albeit limited and temporary, is a goal of many well-meaning communities. With the uniqueness of each person and the special dynamics of every group, the reality of such a place can be just as varied and challenging. This is manifested in the places of worship we have built in His honor.
Our old churches, built by the Spaniards hundreds of years ago, were based on “post cards” or pictures of then existing churches in the west. Due to lack of options in the kind of construction materials available, some of our old churches were made mostly of concrete and lacking in steel reinforcements. This is why most have been destroyed or severely damaged by earthquakes and other unfortunate events. Fortunately, some have stood the test of time and grant us a peek at the grandeur of the European churches of yore. In its own way, the beauty and character of our local churches became priceless, even though these are not as refined as their western counterparts. One can feel the same awe inside the old churches in Batanes and Ilolilo as in the churches of Spain and France. Of course, the present community’s practical involvement in these churches is only as “caretaker” or steward. The focus is in preserving a heritage and building the community around one’s “heirloom”.
A Shared Dream
For new communities, the design of a church is not the sole idea of the architect commissioned to do it. It is usually a dream shared by many. The ideas suggested by concerned individuals are processed, analyzed and gelled to create one single idea, on which the over-all “feel” or style is based. This idea or concept must be adhered to, even after the church has been completed and through subsequent renovations. The end result is usually the vision of the community it serves. It rises from the ground and must remain part of it. Some churches blend with the surroundings and some stand out. But in both cases, it represents the community it supports.
The beauty of the church does not just come from how it looks, or how much money was spent in its construction, nor the kind of materials used. It comes from the effort in building it. This is because the church is not made solely from stone and bricks, but of people with a common desire and a focus. This is what gives truth to the words of the blind visionary, Helen Keller, “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
Beauty is evident even from conceptualization to completion and throughout usage: the attitude and perseverance of the people; the teamwork and cooperation; the source of funding and the creativity in raising it.
“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” - Helen Keller
Community Places of Worship
An example of this is a beautiful chapel we have in Kawilihan Village in Pasig. I don’t claim it’s beautiful because I designed it but because of the people who helped build and continue to support it. Like in many villages, the Sunday service was originally celebrated inside a clubhouse, but everyone felt that solemnity was severely lacking. This prompted Kuya Ben, one of the residents, to dream of having a chapel, so much so that he volunteered to advance the expenses. We knew that the residents needed to get involved, so we intentionally extended the construction period to allow more people to participate in the project. By the end of construction, everything had been paid up and the community had its chapel, now known as La Virgen de Fatima Chapel.
The chapel brings the community closer. Because of it, the village became an ideal place for us to raise a family. It remained beautiful because of the people, such as Tita Ruby, among others, who have dedicated their lives to making sure that everything in this little place is in order. With the full support of the Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish, we even have daily evening masses that are well attended.
In a development south of Manila known as Ayala West Grove Heights, Ayala Land has allocated close to a hectare of prime real estate property across the Westgrove Plaza. I was asked to design a Church for the community. It is not merely for the homeowners in the subdivision, but for the rest of the area as well. The church will be big enough to accommodate 600 people and is expandable up to 1000 once the community has grown. This would definitely benefit the areas around it.
We hope that others will follow these examples, whether it is a small project by the homeowners themselves or a bigger one by concerned developers. It will surely promote a closer, warmer community life and an ideal setting for celebration and camaraderie.
I’m sure that there are a lot of generous and willing hearts out there that would be willing to spearhead and undertake projects like this. I encourage my fellow architects to get involved and use your talents for such a worthwhile purpose.
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