Temple Shrine of the Holy Family in Greenhills

(Part II of ‘It’s Christmas - The Festive Shrine Avenue of Greenhills Beckons’)

Our Lord of Love riding a white stallion makes His strong and magnificent presence along Shrine Avenue, corner of Eisenhower and Annapolis streets in the busy Greenhills shopping areas. In 1994, the holy ones requested through Punay Kabayao Fernandez to set up next to it, the Shrine Temple of the Holy Family for the benefit of a thousand people who walk by daily to remind them of the invisible spiritual world in another dimension. Among them are the modern Pharisees, both the enlightened and the unenlightened.

The 13 statues done in full color show 8 Pharisees listening to 12-year-old Jesus, Who confidently answers all their questions leaving the haughty ones resentful and jealous, while the others kneel in reverence. The Blessed Mother Mary and St. Joseph proudly watch Him. Before the Holy Child a breast-feeding woman with an infant in her arms kneel to get His blessings and a golden retriever watches. They were all done in the style of Maestro Michelangelo.

 Standing before the monument, Dr. Jerczy Smolicz, a clairvoyant professor from the University of Adelaide could hear a babble of voices coming from the ancient temple of Jerusalem.

It will please everyone to know that since 1986, I have agreed to the request of the Holy Ones to have the holy statues and frescoes made within the Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center (OBMC) school headquarters in Greenhills – 25 altogether.

2 statues of the Lord Jesus representing preschool and high school students

Two statues of a grown-up Jesus, one in the grotto accompanied by His beautiful Blessed Mother and another in the second floor prayer room also with His Holy Mother. Meantime Nino Bonito, represented as a four-year-old blond and blue-eyed kindergarten child wearing the OBMC checkered smock uniform and a golden crown visor cap is in the Executive office.

Sixteen-year-old Lord of Love on a stallion also represents the OBMC high school department. During the whole year He was being sculptured, students and parents would watch sculptor Pempe make Him and His horse. One of the grade five students would wonder to Punay Kabayao Fernandez, who guided Pempe almost daily, “When will you make a Jesus for our grade school department?” Punay would readily answer, “Right after this….” She was referring to the Temple of the Holy Family and its 13 holy statues, which amazed Pempe when he finished it late in the evening right before Christmas day. Normally it would take him a whole month to do a statue but the Holy Family shrine was done in half a year.

The 12-year-old Jesus by Christmas accompanied with pride by His Mother Mary and His foster father, St. Joseph. The Holy Family Shrine stands close to our Lord of Love, right in front of the school along Eisenhower Street in Greenhills.

Honoring our hero Jose Rizal and Dottoressa Montessori

By then, our dear friend and spiritual adviser, Punay Kabayao Fernandez (who passed away in April 2008), together with the psychic sculptor Pempe Floriano, had completed the Hacienda Faraon shrine in Cadiz Negros Occidental. She received the mystical message that it was time for me to commission the sculpting of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, for the school grounds, if I am willing to. I happily agreed.

More of heaven-sent artistic designs were revealed to us in school for the following six months. Not only did our hero wear a sparkling smile, but he was accompanied by two smiling school children, a fourth grade boy and girl carrying their books. Dr. Rizal wore his European blue suit with a crimson vest. Up to now, visitors would say, “This is the first time we see a smiling Jose Rizal!”

Right after this, Punay asked if I would like to have a Dr. Montessori bust, for the new building was about to be finished. This, indeed, delighted me. I never saw Dr. Montessori’s bust or statue in any of the six major Montessori teacher-training centers or school in the world whether in Italy, England, Australia, Germany, France or the USA. Her presence in the new building is just fitting and would give us the chance to show her our affectionate gratitude. This work took six months since Pempe took time to get her beautiful large penetrating eyes and her dignified smile.

The EDSA controversy

History intervened then in the life of the country. Great changes in our lives were provoked by political mishaps. The EDSA Revolution occurred within the close vicinity of our Greenhills headquarters. To mark the event, a shrine with the statue of Our Mother Mary was planned by the Cardinal and President Corazon Aquino. A great controversy arose. Why not Our Lord and His mother together? The EDSA crowd was of diversified faiths. The shrine should be ecumenical. Their minds were set on just having the Blessed Mother alone as the figurehead.

Mrs. Fernandez had received the message by inter-locution, which often happened when I helped her set up the Hacienda Faraon and later, Hacienda Tamsi shrines, Mother Mary is very unhappy because Filipinos make a cult of her. It is divisible. Her Son, Our Lord Jesus is God. He should be the one primarily worshipped. She, as His special intercessor for mankind, is to be just revered.

The World Mother and the Lord of Sacrifice

Meantime, through Punay, Blessed Mother asked me if I would be willing to have a grotto-shrine monument where her Son and her, would be sitting on a bench facing the schoolyard. It would be a wonderful blessing and a great privilege. The brown and olive green river stones would be used for the grotto. Two ventilation holes inside were specified to circulate fresh air inside the cave. Both holy figures would be in stucco beige. The only colors were their beautiful light make-up, which heightened their delicate and happy smiles together. While as the Lord of Sacrifice, Jesus’s right hand is raised in benediction, the World Mother of Light, Mary holds a globe with the continents are painted blue (for healing), pink (for universal love) and white (for purification).

In 1992, Geneva Cruz our former student, brought Neocolors band to school as part of their campus concerts. We bussed the students from our other two branch schools to join the audience. Everyone was excited but strong rain poured down and the concert was postponed. The message was that rock bands tend to destroy the magnetic field of the school shrine. We compromised by adding our own school talents for the repeat show. Thus, Geneva, Ana Roces, Isabel Granada, Flexi Sarte, and Aiza Seguerra sang, while the champion organ players played. When it was the Neocolors band’s turn to perform, a strong downpour occurred again. We had to heed the holy ones’ warning to take care not to disturb the sacred force field of the school shrine.

Heaven-preferred music

Everyday, the O.B. Montessori students like other students in the Philippines sing the National Anthem and say the Panatang Makabayan before the grotto. On other days students add special short performances. Flexi Sarte, a bright Grade IV student and stage performer, was with her classmates, when she noted Mother Mary and Jesus in the grotto swaying their heads to the rhythm of the music. She called the attention of her classmates to this phenomenon, but they frowned saying, “Flexi, they are stones. How can they move? Pay attention to this program!” Flexi continued seeing our Lord and His Mother enjoying the music, a privilege her classmates did not have.

The angel with a pointing hand

Just before we were guided to set up the Grassroots Leadership Foundation for Gifted Poor Children (pre-schoolers), the giant Angel with the Pointing Hand was created on top of the grotto. “The Angel with a Pointing Hand, a member of the Angel Host stands on top of the OBMC shrine – “The Highest.” His right hand has a flaming sword, for this badge of talisman must be defended by the sword of Power, Love and Courage to achieve the Highest Ideal of Life.”

The angel’s face is lovely but strong while he wears a golden robe, emblazoned with a huge silver star on his chest. While his left hand points up to the sky with his index finger, the right hand carries a red flaming sword pointed downward.

The Grassroot Leadership Foundation for Poor Gifted Children

For several months, I was receiving a special message through Mrs. Fernandez to set up a new foundation to preserve and cultivate the talents of poor gifted children. From eight outreach pre-schools using a modified Montessori program, I put together to be affordable among children in the National Housing Authority (NHA) areas of Caloocan, Cubao, West Crame, Pasig, Pasay, and Dasmarinas, Cavite. We selected and tested several pre-schoolers. Since 1989 we limit the scholarships to 10 students. If they maintain the average grade of 85, they are eligible to attend the full basic education from kindergarten to professional high school at the O.B. Montessori headquarters in Greenhills. Now they excel well in their profession. Among them are Kim Talaban, who is a PMA graduate and now a navy officer; Jasper Far, a chef in an international shipping line; Albert John Olano, auditor of Computer Professionals, Inc. in Ortigas; and Ioannis Joaquin, a chef in Sulu Hotel. 

The 10 scholars would each require P20,000 for their uniforms and books, transport and tuition fees. The board members were also spiritually chosen: Senator Alberto Romulo, Fanny Aldaba-Lim, Lea Salonga, Aiza Seguerra, Beth Day Romulo, the well known child psychologist Dr. Lourdes Ledesma, Loren Legarda, Dr. Vic Tan and Mrs. Punay K. Fernandez.

The day we held the first official board meeting, Mrs. Fernandez took photos of the Angel with the Pointing Hand. When the films were developed, huge angels filled up the balcony of the school. White cherubs covered the macopa tree beside our Angel. Heaven, indeed, was celebrating this momentous day of protecting the gifted and deserving children.

Today, after 30 years, we have 156 Pagsasarili preschools all over Luzon partnering with mayors and governors, DSWD and DepEd. Tuition fee ranges from P200 to P1,500 monthly.)

The other world

Every step of the way, when each holy monument was put together in the school shrine, miracles happen. They are all proofs that in that other dimension are spirits of immortal artists, fashion designers, architects, landscapers, etc.

(Part III – The Trinity of Shrine and the Inner Transformation of the Nation 1984 – 2013)

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