Author: Филиппинско-Вьетнамская епархия

On February 20, 2020, Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Administrator of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, consecrated the cross and foundation stone at the site of the church named after the Apostle Thomas in the settlement of Kinabalan on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the opportunity for construction work on the erection of the church appeared only a year later. In 2021, the site was prepared and piles were hammered. Recently, the pouring of the foundation of the church was completed. Despite the complexity of the project, local workers, with the help of parishioners of the church and under the supervision of the clergy of the diocese, coped with the work, according to the website of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese.

The project of the church was developed by the architectural department of the Khanty-Mansi Metropolis specifically for the conditions of the Philippines, characterized by high seismic activity and humidity. According to the project, the church should withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 points.

On December 1, with the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Hieromonk Korniliy (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese, performed the rite of consecration of the foundation stone in the base of the St. John of Shanghai church on Tubabao, Philippines, which is now under construction. Hieromonk Korniliy was co-served by the clergy of the diocese: Hieromonk Alexei (Lapshin), Priest Moses Kahilig, and Priest Ambrose Sumagaysay.

On the same day, a ceremony of the state flags raising were held, followed by a wreath laying in memory of the Russian refugees who were sheltered on the island. The monument is located in the central part of the island. The events were attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Philippines M. I. Pavlov and his wife, Senior Consul Y. Pavlov, First Secretary of the Embassy N. Ovsyannikov, Mayor of the Guiuan Municipality Annaliza Gonzales Kwan, Vice Mayor V. Kabakaba-Ramirez and employees of the Town Council, and also other officials, residents and guests of the island of Tubabao.

In 1949-1951, six thousand Russian refugees from among those who emigrated from Russia to Shanghai after the start of the Civil War found temporary shelter on this island. The spiritual mentor of the community at that time was St. John of Shanghai. The Filipinos gave a warm welcome and support to the refugees, who, in turn, made a great cultural contribution to the life of the local population. Their memory is still honored here. In her welcoming speech, Mayor Annaliza G. Kwan said that she was taught ballet by a student of one of the Russian immigrants.

St. John of Shanghai is also very revered by the locals, because miracles happen through prayers to him. For example, people miraculously escaped during typhoons, and even the typhoons themselves often bypassed the island, as was the case during the refugees stay here. The same miracle happened in Manila on Sunday, November 1, 2020, when the strongest supertyphoon Goni, which was approaching the city, abruptly lost strength and went south from the metropolis immediately after the prayer service at the Iveron Icon of Mother of God parish in Manila to St. John were celebrated.

On September 21, on the day of the feast of the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the parish in honour of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Arakan in the Philippines celebrated the patronal feast of the church.

Divine Liturgy was officiated by Priest Moses Kahilig, co-served by the priests of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese: Priest Nikolai Salgado and Priest Ambrose Sumagaisay.

At the end of the divine service, the glorification of the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was performed, after which the clergy and parishioners went in procession around the church.

Hieromonk Cornelius (Molev), Secretary of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese, and Priest Moses Kahilig performed a memorial service at the Giuan cemetery, where Russian refugees who fled from China in 1949 from communist persecution are buried.

At the place of the stay of the refugees on Tubabao island, a moleben with the akathist to St. John of Shanghai – the Heavenly Patron of the Orthodox communities in the Philippines was served.