Nourishing your faith in the city

It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy and hustle of the city, that it often leaves you little time to attend to other needs, including your spiritual duties.

Fortunately for many of the country’s devout Catholics living in cities, parishes and chapels are being built within malls, near their offices and sometimes smack in the middle of public spaces to offer a place where they can nourish their spiritual needs. Over the decade, some property developers have shown to be increasingly mindful of this need, so much so that having places of worship became an integral part of their developments.

Kevin L. Tan, chief strategy officer of Megaworld Corp., shared that seven of their operational townships have either chapels or churches, with seating capacities ranging from 70 to 300.

“Places of worship are integral to the communities that we build. They complete our townships. We want our residents, our office workers, and even our mallgoers to have venues for spiritual growth and well-being,” Tan explained. “Most of our townships will have places of worship. They are either integrated within our malls, or some may have stand-alone structures.”

This coming Ash Wednesday, the working populace in the metro can easily visit any of these churches, as they seek to nourish and strengthen their faith amid today’s hectic, fast-paced lifestyle.

St. Raphael’s Church

One of the newest churches in the city rises amid the hubbub of businesses, entertainment and lifestyle hubs. The St. Raphael’s Church, located at the Venice Grand Canal Mall in McKinley Hill, Taguig City, provides this township with a place of worship and reflection in the convenience and comfort of their own neighborhood.

The church—named after the Archangel Saint Raphael, whose name means “Medicine of God"—completes the triad of chapels named after archangels located in Fort Bonifacio. Characterized by a gothic style of architecture, this church draws inspiration from St. Mark’s Basilica, the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Venice, Italy. At 785.14 sqm, the church can accommodate up to 300 people. Regular Masses are held every day.

St. Gabriel the Archangel Chapel

This chapel perched at the deck of Uptown Mall in Taguig City is also part of the triad of chapels in Fort Bonifacio that were named after archangels.

Apart from providing a place of solace amid the high rises in such a bustling district, St. Gabriel the Archangel Chapel’s visual aesthetics are outright appealing and eye-catching. The chapel features a high ceiling with a skylight in the shape of the Holy Cross, a roof shaped like a bishop’s hat, and tempered glass walls with glass fins and spider fittings. Opened in 2017, the 100-sqm chapel has a seating capacity of 120 persons.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel

At the heart of Binondo and within the confines of the Lucky Chinatown Mall is a chapel that serves as a sanctuary for residents of Manila and mallgoers. The Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel holds Mass Wednesdays and Sundays for the devout Catholics living and thriving in the oldest Chinatown in the world.

Eastwood City

Megaworld’s first and most successful integrated township is home to the St. John Paul II Parish, giving residents, office workers and mallgoers a quaint place of worship right within Eastwood City. Couples who usually favor a more intimate and solemn gathering are seen holding their weddings or the baptism of their child here.

Formerly known as the Holy Family Chapel, this parish sports a simple design characterized by its gray exteriors while its interiors feature white walls and a mix of golden and wooden fixtures that lend it a solemn ambience ideal for a quiet prayer.