Churches today

A recent Newsweek article featured many churches in Europe being closed down and getting converted into posh restaurants, disco and pub houses, internet shops and other commercial facilities. Others are being taken over by Muslims in dire need of worship houses and mosques. More and more, people lose interest in going to churches. Nobody cares whether the churches get demolished or transformed into bars or entertainment centers. It is ironic that this is happening in Europe, the continent which once supplied it with priests, cathedrals and intellect. Roman Catholicism seems to lose its charisma, its message seemingly becoming irrelevant in a highly materialistic society.

As we know, the first churches were built as cathedrals. There were a number of reasons for this. The cathedral is the house of God and should therefore be grandiose and magnificent to fit God’s glory. As the seat of the Bishop, it is where solemn liturgical rites, such as the Ordination of Priests or coronation of monarchs were held. It is a landmark establishment that serves as an ecclesiastical and social meeting place for the clergy and the faithful. The cathedral often had its origins in a monastic foundation and was a place of worship for members of a holy order who said the mass privately at a number of small chapels within the cathedral. The cathedral often became a place of worship and burial for wealthy local patrons. These patrons often endowed the cathedrals with money for successive enlargements and building programs.

In the Philippines, churches are preserved well and kept in the highest regard as the symbol of God’s presence among the people. They are usually dedicated to patron saints whose feast days are celebrated by processions culminating in liturgical rites held by the parish priest or bishop in the church. They are also objects of pilgrimage to which the faithful travel from afar to honor the patron saint.

Old churches in Manila and Intramuros were devastated a number of times by numerous earthquakes, from the 15th century to the present. Many churches were also bombed and destroyed during World War I and II. These churches were always rebuilt and preserved because they were historical and cultural landmarks. Sta. Cruz Church holds special memories for me as a child when my family resided in the corner of Oroquieta and Zurbaran. It is the church where I was baptized. Our family once owned the block where the church is located and was then known as Bagong Bayan as it was the place the Americans opened Avenida Rizal.

Ours is a culture rich in history and tradition nurtured by our strong faith. We can only remain as strong a people, if we keep our faith and spirituality. May the next generations to come enjoy the blessings we have right now.