Let there be light at Ayala Westgrove Heights
MANILA, Philippines - At Ayala Westgrove Heights, there stands a place that invites people to become part of a real community the Church of St. Benedict,Westgrove. The white edifice with terracotta rooftop is located just outside the gates of Ayala Westrgrove Heights, like a beacon guiding its residents home.
Ayala Land Premier, the real estate developer responsible for Ayala Westgrove Heights, set out to build for the neighborhood a place of worship as the community started to grow. For the past 10 years, residents walked to nearby St. Scholastica’s College, Westgrove for Mass, where the basketball court served as their makeshift church.
“But Westgrove was reaching a point where the community had grown too big for residents to have Mass in the basketball court,” says Thomas Mirasol, head of marketing and sales, Ayala Land Premier.
Ayala Westgrove Heights is close to Nuvali, a booming economic region in the quieter south. Also a development of Ayala Land Premier, the 1,840-hectare Nuvali would become the country’s first true eco-community — a city of the future that thrives on sustainable economic, social and environmental development.
The Church of St. Benedict, Westgrove opened its doors in time for Holy Week 2010.
“Many friendships have been formed because of the church,” says Ayala Westgrove Heights resident Egay Navalta. “We have many activities in the church. It brings people together under one roof to participate.”
Navalta is a member of the music ministry himself. His son has also joined to play the guitar while Navalta prefers to sing.
“When the church holds the anticipated Mass on Saturday evenings and we notice one of the residents absent, a neighbor would always check if everything was okay,” Navalta says.
It’s as if the church is bringing to life the ways of its patron. St. Benedict is, by holy tradition, the twin brother of St. Scholastica. Here and now, perhaps St. Benedict watches over Ayala Westgrove Heights, and bestows to it the grace of a flourishing community founded in friendship and goodwill.
“It sets the tone for what the community is all about,” Mirasol declares. “It’s about family. You can’t really grow up without this. I have no doubt that this would be the venue for many a happy occasion.”
The Church of St. Benedict, Westgrove completes Ayala Westgrove Heights. It shines a bright light in the homes of its families and community over which it cares for.
