Introducing the Church of Our Lady of Pentecost
Text: From In this Place the Coffee Table Book published by the Church of Our Lady of Pentecost
The church’s facade, designed by Architect Veepee Pinpin, is a huge cross with a circular stained-glass window split into two. The circular stained-glass symbolizes the circular host of the Body of Christ broken for the community but still together - the two pieces held together by the cross.
Bricks also abound outside the church. The architect recalls how St. Francis of Assisi gathered bricks one by one to build his church. The bricks symbolize the community. Each brick represents a member of the community. Separately, each brick is brittle, easy to break, but together the bricks are invincible, forming a solid whole.
Inside, you will find an EMBRACING CHURCH. With a semicircular configuration, the altar is at the head while the community embraces it. This gives one a feeling of the all-embracing power of the community which comes together with God, our Lord, as head. The design of the nave achieves this symbol. As the community gathers around the altar, the church, in turn, cradles the gathered community.
Four columns gloriously stand in the central nave. These four points are marked by four crosses, with four small candles underneath. There are also twelve drop lights for the twelve apostles.
When the church was still being constructed, the construction team noticed that the beams under the third floor already had an asymmetric beauty. Instead of covering them, the team clad them with ficem boards, exposing the crisscrossing horizontal concrete as they contain the fan-fold ceiling that hides the soft yellow light.
In keeping with the grace of line and the discreet adornment of the church, the parish chose linear-looking pews.
The sanctuary is straight ahead, slightly raised and visible even before you enter the church. The altar is semicircular, accessible from different sides. It invites the faithful to approach from all directions. The unadorned background and plain walls heighten visual quietness.
The altar’s sculptor, Juan Sajid Imao, carved the icon of Our Lady of Pentecost and the silhouettes of the apostles on the altar’s base. The same sculptor also carved the ambo with seven “tongues of fire” representing the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Dean Napoleon Abueva, Philippine National Artist for Sculpture, sculpted the altar cross. The burial cross draped on the corpus evokes a gentle, cascading motion signifying the shedding of Calvary’s sorrow. It is the transformation of mourning into the victory of Easter. The ostensible upward motion of the head and the expression on the Christ’s face are those of the Crucified Son going up to the Father in exultation. At night, the backlight silhouettes the massive cross. A quiet reassurance that the dawn of Easter will come after Good Friday.
The presider’s chair is made of hard wood. Agi Pagkatipunan said he chose Philippine hard wood for the preside and altar chairs as these could withstand the wear and tear of daily use, so that they could grow old with the church.
The soft red glimmer from the tabernacle lamp is a gentle assurance that God is truly present in the community.
The candle stands serve as aesthetic contrast to the simplicity of the altar design. Agi Pagkatipunan made the candle stands more elaborate. Of three heights, the candle stands curve gently as if to reach up to the cross.
The church has three floors. The ground floor is 910.32 square meters, the second floor is 524.50 square meters, and the third floor is 645.04 square meters. The ground floor, including the baptistery, can seat 400 people, the second floor can seat 182 people and the third floor can sit 46 people.
The church’s facade, designed by Architect Veepee Pinpin, is a huge cross with a circular stained-glass window split into two. The circular stained-glass symbolizes the circular host of the Body of Christ broken for the community but still together - the two pieces held together by the cross.
Bricks also abound outside the church. The architect recalls how St. Francis of Assisi gathered bricks one by one to build his church. The bricks symbolize the community. Each brick represents a member of the community. Separately, each brick is brittle, easy to break, but together the bricks are invincible, forming a solid whole.
Inside, you will find an EMBRACING CHURCH. With a semicircular configuration, the altar is at the head while the community embraces it. This gives one a feeling of the all-embracing power of the community which comes together with God, our Lord, as head. The design of the nave achieves this symbol. As the community gathers around the altar, the church, in turn, cradles the gathered community.
Four columns gloriously stand in the central nave. These four points are marked by four crosses, with four small candles underneath. There are also twelve drop lights for the twelve apostles.
When the church was still being constructed, the construction team noticed that the beams under the third floor already had an asymmetric beauty. Instead of covering them, the team clad them with ficem boards, exposing the crisscrossing horizontal concrete as they contain the fan-fold ceiling that hides the soft yellow light.
In keeping with the grace of line and the discreet adornment of the church, the parish chose linear-looking pews.
The sanctuary is straight ahead, slightly raised and visible even before you enter the church. The altar is semicircular, accessible from different sides. It invites the faithful to approach from all directions. The unadorned background and plain walls heighten visual quietness.
The altar’s sculptor, Juan Sajid Imao, carved the icon of Our Lady of Pentecost and the silhouettes of the apostles on the altar’s base. The same sculptor also carved the ambo with seven “tongues of fire” representing the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Dean Napoleon Abueva, Philippine National Artist for Sculpture, sculpted the altar cross. The burial cross draped on the corpus evokes a gentle, cascading motion signifying the shedding of Calvary’s sorrow. It is the transformation of mourning into the victory of Easter. The ostensible upward motion of the head and the expression on the Christ’s face are those of the Crucified Son going up to the Father in exultation. At night, the backlight silhouettes the massive cross. A quiet reassurance that the dawn of Easter will come after Good Friday.
The presider’s chair is made of hard wood. Agi Pagkatipunan said he chose Philippine hard wood for the preside and altar chairs as these could withstand the wear and tear of daily use, so that they could grow old with the church.
The soft red glimmer from the tabernacle lamp is a gentle assurance that God is truly present in the community.
The candle stands serve as aesthetic contrast to the simplicity of the altar design. Agi Pagkatipunan made the candle stands more elaborate. Of three heights, the candle stands curve gently as if to reach up to the cross.
The church has three floors. The ground floor is 910.32 square meters, the second floor is 524.50 square meters, and the third floor is 645.04 square meters. The ground floor, including the baptistery, can seat 400 people, the second floor can seat 182 people and the third floor can sit 46 people.