The Gems of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish

by LEONCIO D. PAGULAYAN

Peter Drucker, the English organization guru once said that for a community to thrive, it must have a creed to believe in and a flag to wave (something to be proud of)!

In this little parish nestled deep in the heart of Diliman, undoubtedly our faith in God has kept us going for the last 34 years.

The quaint `salakot-shaped' church designed by one of our National Artists which we have painstakingly built to what it is now today… the priceless icons carved on wood by the hands of another Filipino National Artist and by a Spanish man-of-the cloth … the institutions we have nurtured… these are some things we can be truly proud of!

They make us hold our heads up high, carrying them aloft like a banner waving in the wind!

These are the gems of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (IHMP)!

The church building that Architect `Lindy' Locsin designed

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (IHMP) church in U.P. Village, Diliman, Quezon City is a repository of everything that is sacred and holy… a sanctuary where parishioners may commune with their God …and a cultural treasure which forms part of the country's national heritage.

The IHMP church is no ordinary building. It was designed by Architect Leandro Locsin, the National Artist and designer of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1975.

In fact Architect Locsin conceptualized and designed the IHMP Church building before he worked on the design of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The IHMP church is reputedly the last religious building Locsin designed.

Designed as a "salakot", the Filipino native hat, the building is the only one of its kind in the country!

It is a landmark in Metro Manila and as Locsin visualized it, the IHMP church should not only be spiritually edifying but it should also evoke the stirrings of nationalism among the parishioners and all church goers.

Hence, the building does not only look Filipino from the outside but from the inside as well, as Locsin wanted the IHMP church to project the soul and spirit of the Filipino!

On May 3, 1970, Fr. Ignacio A. Blanco, cmf officiated in the laying of the IHMP church cornerstone and two years later on May 1972, the first Mass was celebrated even if the construction of the church was on-going.

The saga of the church's construction and architectural details of the building are stories still waiting to be told.

On May 27, 1977 or seven years after the laying of its cornerstone, the IHMP church was inaugurated concurrent with the installation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as patroness of the parish.

However, some of its ancillary facilities have yet to be installed.

It took some 26 years to complete the installation of these facilities.

The blessing of the Bulwagang Claret on February 14 this year marked the completion of all the IHMP Church's facilities under the stewardship of Fr. Desiderio Martin, cmf as Parish Priest with Bro. Emmanuel and Sis. Elizabeth Enciso as Chaircouple of the Parish Pastoral Council.

Today, the IHMP Church boasts of the following facilities, namely,

fully air-conditioned Parish Office and library,

Jerusalem Formation Room,

Jordan and Nazareth function rooms,

BEC Coordinating Center,

Medical-Dental Service room,

Five sanitary comfort rooms,

Two air-conditioned mortuaries (Resurrection & Ascension chapels)

fully air-conditioned glitzy Bulwagang Claret multi-purpose social hall with its Sta. Barbara and Zamboanga function rooms.

Today, we can proudly proclaim that with these facilities, the IHMP can service the needs of its parishioners from birth to death!