EVER since Jesus’ crucifixion 2,000 years ago, the cross has always been associated with salvation. And for the poverty-stricken residents of Dagat-dagatan in Navotas, only one gigantic cross has lifted their spirits living as they are in times juxtaposed with utter misery.
“I observed that the cross has inspired a lot of people; it’s as if their faith were invigorated,” said Fr. Allan Lopez, O.P., the parish priest of the San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs Church, whose roof the cross is now perched atop.
The cross was patterned closely after St. Dominic’s staff, but with mammoth proportions. The 12-feet-wide and 18-feet-tall cross is already believed to be the biggest Dominican cross not only in the country, but in the entire Eastern hemisphere.
The cross was completed last December in time for the start of Simbang Gabi, drawing a bigger number of churchgoers than the past years.
“People always tend to forget to pray or hear Mass, but when they see the cross, they are reminded of their duties,” continued Father Lopez.
Parishioners are more than happy in seeing the huge and massive cross hover over the parish area. In broad daylight, the cross silently watches over the parish periphery in its resplendently identifiable colors of black and white, the classic Dominican colors. In the stark darkness of night, it seemingly floats amid the oblivion with its bright neon blue lights.
Ironically though, the cross, in all its majesty, sits on a rather dilapidated church worn away by time and tide. Notwithstanding, the church has never ceased in doing its functions and obligations to the faithful, especially in the light of the contemporary Church’s “preferential option for the poor.”
Perhaps the Church and the Dominicans’ dedication to serving the poor was more than underscored by the killing of Fr. Romeo Asuzano, O.P. in 2004.
While on his way to the parish to celebrate the Sunday Mass, Father Asuzano was held up in Navotas by apparently drug-influenced men. He gave up everything including his money and cellphone, but when the hold-up men tried to get his bicycle, he pleaded with them to allow him to keep it because he needed it to get to the church on time. He was stabbed several times and his appeals for help went unanswered.
He died on Philippine Independence Day, June 12, 2004.
In an estimated one square kilometer of parish area, Father Lopez, together with two other Dominican priests, tends to a flock of around 100,000 parishioners and ministers the sacraments such as confession and first communion for up to 17,000 students in different schools within the area. It’s as if the burden of the parish is tantamount to the weight of its giant cross, or even more.
But Father Lopez is not weighed down by the parish church’s demanding ministry. In fact, he said he is challenged by it.
More faith than money
Dagat-dagatan was once a fishpond area reclaimed to accommodate the ballooning population of the Metro. Commissioned by then first lady Imelda Marcos, the San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs Parish Church was haphazardly built by military soldiers for only three months and its care was entrusted to the Dominicans.
The original church building, which was made almost entirely of wood, is now suffering from decay because of the damaging effects of sea water, not to mention the irrepressible termites feeding on it.
Like most structures within Dagat-dagatan, the church was built on low ground, reason for which it is not spared by constant flooding that is usually knee-deep. Its proximity to the regularly overflowing river is not of any help.
To control further damage, the parish has launched a major renovation project since February 2005.
The new flood-proof plan raises the finished floor line of the church to 1.7 meters above sea level. Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi, an interior design professor of the UST College of Fine Arts and Design, is in charge of the overall design of the church, whose concept is that of modern Japanese, taking inspiration from the place where San Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions, who were all Dominicans, were martyred.
“We wanted our design to be unique and the idea of having a Filipino-Japanese architecture for a church is yet unheard of,” Father Lopez said.
Unfortunately, the church’s facelift is far from being finished, much less half-way through. But for Father Lopez, the best building component is neither steel nor concrete, but faith.
“We started without money but with a lot of faith,” said Father Lopez, who stressed that the church renovation is necessary and called for because of its derelict condition.
The construction process has been steady yet rather slow due to lack of funds. The parish has non-stop fund-raising projects, such as concerts, ballrooms, and dinners-for-a-cause. Donations have also poured in from abroad. The people of the parish also help, or at least try to, but since Dagat-dagatan is one of the most depressed areas in the Metro, generating sufficient funds is a great challenge.
For more than 25 years now, the church has been very active in giving service to the community, especially to the poorest of the poor. The parochial school within the church compound even holds charity classes so that poor children may have access to quality Catholic education.
Creating an impact and making the church’s presence felt is very important, especially to the people living under the bridge and on floating houses on the polluted river, to make them acknowledge their dignity, or what’s left of it.
The giant cross is just the beginning and already, it has made the people feel secure that God is with them amid the filth and stench of their surroundings.
The cross lures the people to the church and is a constant reminder that salvation is at hand, that God is bigger than their problems.
This very thought is what keeps the parishioners alive, aside maybe from the meager fish scraps they are able to salvage from the fishing port nearby.
