Today, I met an angel beside me on the plane, Tita Nina Manalo, a retired teacher from Rawis, Legazpi City, she's still very active & strong at the age of 77 years old! With no maintenance medicine besides Centrum Silver! I also met her daughter Arlene and good friend kuya Rudy who fetched us from the airport, they have a very good heart, they toured me to the National Shrine of St. Therese of Lisseux (or St. Therese of the Child Jesus). The shrine is huge. It stands tall, all of 6,200 sq.m sitting by the Villamor Air Base, across NAIA 3. This was the cross-shaped edifice one sees across the new airport, when one’s plane makes a landing. It could be a landmark in future.
I was amazed. Envisioned to be the center of devotion to St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Asia, the Shrine is well-equipped with features and amenities that make a celebration of faith truly enriching. Consider this:
- Center for St. Therese relics
- Stained glass featuring highlights of St. Therese’s life (itself a museum)
- Ecclesiastical museum
- Adoration chapel
- Family prayer room
- Complete with video and audio capacities
- Fully air conditioned
- Sound-proof
- Seating capacity: 1,800 seats
- Souvenir shop and a cafe
Where can you find, at least in Asia, an ultramodern shrine, fully-air conditioned, 3 level, with 42″ plasma TV for the psalms and announcements? Only at National Shrine of St. Therese of Lisseux (or St. Therese of the Child Jesus).
The church area itself has a sitting capacity of 1,800 people. Gee, a bride who will walk down its aisle would need to walk 50 meters from the church door to the altar, to display the gown and all in her beaming radiance.
Atop the main entrance of the church (3rd level) is what is called the family, where mothers with young children could sit, separated by glass, without disturbing other church goers.
It is entirely sound proof, such that no matter how many airplanes or helicopters fly over the area, or perhaps, even a coup attack, the noise would not be heard inside the shrine.
