It was both a historical and happy day when SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and the Archdiocese of the Cebu led the dedication of the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod in SM Seaside Complex at the South Road Properties in Cebu City. The day after its dedication, it was the holding area for the Bishops who took part in the the National Thanksgiving Mass celebrating the canonization of Saint Pedro Calungsod in the South Road Properties area.
The
Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod is the first structure in the SM Seaside Complex,
echoing a practice during Spanish times when towns would be built around a
church. More recently, the Shrine of Jesus the Way the Truth and the Life, was
also the first structure in the now bustling Mall of Asia Complex when it was
blessed in 1999.
The
Chapel was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sy, Sr to the Archdiocese of Cebu, and
is dedicated to San Pedro Calungsod, the first Visayan saint, who is considered
a role model for the youth. Martyred in
Guam for his missionary work in 1672, he was beatified by Blessed Pope John
Paul II on March 5, 2000. San Pedro
Calungsod was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter’s Basilica in the
Vatican City on October 21, 2012.
Designed by US based Architect Carlos Arnaiz,
the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod sits on an elevated 5,001 square meter lot
within the SM Seaside Complex. It can accommodate up to 803 people.
The
design for the chapel is meant as a homage to Cebu’s dynamic spirit. Cebu has become the heart of Philippine
design culture – open, vibrant, yet relaxing in a spirit of cosmopolitan
exchange. The city is host to a growing
community of talented designers, filmmakers, businessmen and trendsetters who are
in the process of defining how a passion for history, craft, and hard work
nutures innovation.
The
building is grounded on a long history of ecclesiastical architecture wherein
light and structure work together to inspire.
And yet, the design is truly contemporary, futuristic, and contextual.
The Church stands as a sanctuary of stone, sand, and
glass from where we can meditate on the changes happening in the world and find
strength in our encounter with the inexplicable mysteries of God. It invites us to wonder around its grounds
and discover sunken gardens, pockets of blue light, and an enigmatic profusion
of talismanic walls.
The Church has 100 walls, each with a unique height and
width so that they seem almost like people.
No one is the same and yet they are all commected in the fact that they
exist together as a cluster. The walls
come together to form a kind of congregation, and within it are auxillary
spaces for a baptistry, an adoration chapel, prayer niches, the sacristy,
fourteen stations of the cross, and even a quiet room for children. A multi purposes area for church functions is
located below.
The
Consecration mass during the dedication was celebrated by Cebu Archbishop Jose
Palma and Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and attended by
hundreds of Bishops from all over the country. The Sy Family led by Mrs.
Felicidad Sy, and Mr. Hans T. Sy were also present during the mass.
The
official pilgrim image of San Pedro Calungsod was brought to the chapel through
a motorcade from the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to be there during the
consecration Mass. The image will be placed at the San Pedro Calungsod Shrine
at the Archbishop’s Palace, with the chapel a replica of the statue in the
chapel.
The Archdiocese of Cebu appointed Msgr. Vicente Tupas as rector of the SM Seaside’s Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod.
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