Tagaytay, Philippines
Who ever would have thought that it would take an earthquake to bring about the founding of the sixth convent of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters in the Philippines? That is just what happened. On July 16, 1990 a mammoth earthquake sent Baguio City in the Mountain Province rocking. Even supposedly well-built buildings came crashing down. The Sisters in Blessed Sacrament Convent got a good scare when their solid building began to shake. Thanks to the Lord’s mercy, no one was hurt and the damages were later declared to be reparable. But since normal life in Baguio was not yet possible, the community was evacuated to the convent in Manila. Mother Mary Aurora flew to the Philippines to assess the damage and make plans for the future.
For some time already, there was thought of founding a convent in Tagaytay. A suitable location had even been looked for, but without success. Now Father Provincial SVD offered two hectares of their property for purchase and the Missionary Sisters offered their farmhouse nearby as a temporary residence. So on September 8 seven Sisters, evacuees from Baguio, traveled to Tagaytay to begin this new foundation. To honor God’s mercy in sparing the Sisters and convent during the earthquake, the name “Adoration Convent of Divine Mercy” was chosen. Four months later, on January 12, 1991, the cornerstone was laid. On January 5, 1992 Cardinal Jaime Sin was the main celebrant and homilist at the inauguration. He consecrated the chapel, and Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, a concelebrant, blessed the convent, in the presence of the ailing Local Bishop Felix Perez.
Soon after the Sisters arrived in Tagaytay, the Missionary Sisters and other persons began sharing in the eucharistic adoration. This zealous beginning culminated in the founding of the League of Adorers in 1994. Three years later, the Lady Auxiliaries began their dedicated work of helping the Sisters and the needy. The Sisters supply many parishes with altar breads and also bake cookies for sale and conduct a gift shop. The chapel, beautiful in its simplicity, has become a spiritual center where overflow participation in the Mass, Eucharistic Festival, Holy Hours, novenas, recollection days, processions and the like are the norm. The melodious notes of the chapel’s carillon bells repeatedly invite to prayer and sound a clarion call to reflect on things eternal.
<< First | <Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Next > | Last >> Return to Top