A tour to the shrine and church of St. Andrew Kim Tae Gon // March 5, 2017

I joined the future couple (Dave and She) when they visited the Shrine of St. Andrew Kim Tae Gon in Bocaue, Bulacan over the weekend.  He is a Korean priest who became a refugee in Lolomboy, due to the outbreak of civil war in China.  He was canonized by St. John Paul II on May 6, 1984, and was enthroned as the secondary patron saint of Lolomboy Parish.  

Simbahan ng Sto. Cristo at San Andres Kim Taegon

We initially paid our visit and attended the Sunday mass in the under the constructed church of St. Andrew and Sto. Cristo.  Sto. Cristo is the primary patron saint of Lolomboy.

Schedule of masses

Structure of the church outside

 The inside of the church

The altar

The altar

The altar

Chapels

Sunken Chapel

A mini chapel dedicated to St. Pedro Calungsod

The future happy couple.... kailan nga ba talaga ang kasal?

Picture with St. Andrew

The Shrine

What makes this shrine unique is the Korean inspired ambiance.  We saw Korean sisters performing their mundane tasks (gardening, meditating, etc.).  I would like to emphasize that this is a shrine, not a temple.  We were corrected by a nun who overheard our conversation.  We found out that a temple is generally a place for worship; while a shrine is intended to venerate a certain individual of greatness (it can be a saint, a highly influential leader in the past, and the like).

A pavilion

Mini Chapel

The altar

The chapel's ceiling

Bamboo Garden

Bamboo Garden

Ayns and She

The Couple

A leading path to heaven

Inside of the adoration chapel

Dave while praying

The Cross

Inside of their main chapel

Main Chapel

A nun while meditating

At the memorial statue of St. Andrew Kim

Reaching him :D

At the other garden

Last minute Photos

The gate's arc

At the other side

A self proclaimed Korean

Ayns

Development are still in progress

Going Back to Manila

Having a late breakfast

Ayun.... pagod silang umuwe :D

How we went there?
1. Take a bus bound to Malanday

2. Upon reaching Malanday, ride a jeep bound to Bocaue or Balagtas tell the driver to drop you at McDonald in Lolomboy.  The Parish is located 50 meters away from the tricycle terminal; while the shrine is 100 m away.

-JSC
End