Wedding Prep: How I Received Kumpil or the Sacrament of Confirmation in Quiapo Church

We received a list of requirements when we booked our church for the wedding. Among the requirements are the certificates for Baptism and Confirmation (Kumpil). I easily obtained a copy of my Baptismal Certificate. What’s missing, unfortunately, is my Confirmation Certificate.

I asked my parents about it and even inquired with our parish but to no avail. I couldn’t find my certificate because I discovered that I didn’t receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the first place! My parents forgot about it.

Unfortunately, the rite of confirmation in our parish only happens once a year. I totally missed it and I might even miss (or move) our wedding because of it.

“Why bother with Kumpil in the first place and mess your wedding?”, some of you might ask. The answer is that we really want to have a church wedding. Me and My Beloved Wife will not settle for less (read: civil wedding) because we believe in the importance of this ceremony in our life. If the Church says that Kumpil is important then we will obey her no matter what.

Good thing that Quiapo Church has a weekly schedule for Kumpil. This is where I availed of this sacrament.

The actual rite is just a small part of Quiapo Church's Confirmation program that runs from 8 AM to 12 noon every Sunday. The rite is just one hour or less depending on the number of confirmants. What ate up the whole half day of the program is the seminar prior to the rite. The lecturers of that seminar taught us about the teachings of the Church.



Some of you might be wondering why there is a Sacrament of Confirmation. According to the Catechism:

“Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds”.

In short, the Kumpil help us grow spiritually because it gives us plenty of graces. Thus, the Church wants every couple to receive this sacrament because it will strengthen them in their married life.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Those who want to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in Quiapo Church should register first to get a schedule for the rite. You need to submit your Baptismal Certificate with a note “For Marriage Purposes” and then fill-up a form. You must also bring a valid ID. The fee for Kumpil is 380 pesos.

Quiapo Church is very strict that's why confirmants must come on time. Latecomers will be asked to register again (and pay another 380 pesos). Only one ninong or ninang are allowed inside. Friends and family members will be prevented from entering.

Confirmants should also go to confession prior to Kumpil.

The certificate of Confirmation can be obtained 1 week after the rite. The certificate costs 50 pesos.

I am glad that Qiuapo Church offers Kumpil. It solved my problem about Confirmation requirement for our wedding.

Read about my post about the Sacrament of Confirmation or Kumpil, if you have more questions about this sacrament.

If you're in the same predicament as me, then I highly suggest that you go to Quiapo Church for kumpil. I think that there other churches that have regular schedule for kumpil. 12Eighteen mentioned in blog post that the National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels offers kumpil every Thrusday and Sunday.

If you know of other churches that offer kumpil, please share it with us.

Wedding Prep: A Look at St. Peter's Church

As I had said in the previous post, I considered St. Peter's Parish Church located along Commonwealth Avenue (Quezon City) as our church for our wedding. Thus, I made a sort of "reconnaissance" to see if this church will fit our wedding requirements.

I witnessed a wedding ceremony in this church. This allowed me to glimpse on how St. Peter's Parish Church is arranged for weddings.

St. Peter's Parish Church was officially named as Shrine of Leaders because it is dedicated to the popes, specifically to Apostle Peter the first Pope. Thus, its altar is a copy of the altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

What I like with this altar is the image of the crucified Christ at the center. The twisted beanstalk-looking posts look good too. What’s disappointing, however, is that the tabernacle was placed at the side. Its rightful place is at the center because it is where the body of Christ is stored.

The space in front of the altar is big enough and can hold numerous ninongs and ninangs. The painting of the blue sky and the white ceiling also adds beauty to wedding photos.

The dome also looks good. It is as if the Holy Spirit is really descending from the heavens.

The door of St. Peter’s Church depicts a scene from the Bible where our Lord gave the keys of the kingdom of Heaven to Peter (Matthew 16:19).

St. Peter’s Church uses red carpet for weddings. Flowers are hanged at the side of the pews. I think that flower pillars may be placed but should be supplied by the florist, which means additional cost for the groom and bride.

St. Peter's Parish Church decorated for a wedding.

The priest’s homily during the wedding ceremony that I witnessed is actually good. I’m not sure with the other priests though.

The nearest venue for wedding reception is King Bee restaurant, located just across St. Peter’s Church. Those who want a more classy reception venue may consider Blue Gardens, which is also near St. Peter’s Church. More info may be obtained from the Blue Gardens’ blog.

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Hey reader! Did you witnessed a wedding at St. Peter’s Church? Or are you a couple who intend to get married in this church? If you have more information about St. Peter’s Church, I ask that you share it with us and help other couples in their search for a “perfect church” for their wedding. Please share your info by a leaving a comment below.

Thank you very much! 

Wedding Prep: The Hunt for Churches

Finding a church was our top priority during our wedding preparations. Everything is dependent upon it that we didn't book other suppliers while we searched for the “perfect” wedding church. 

There are plenty of churches that we considered but one thing that My Beloved Wife required was that the church must have a beautiful altar.

Here are some of the churches that we considered:

Caleruega Church

The Transfiguration Chapel, or more popularly known either as Caleruega Church or Calaruega Church, is the most sought after when it comes to wedding. The first reason for its popularity is its being in Tagaytay. The second, I think, is the bandwagon effect: its popularity attracts more soon-to-be-wed to its door.

My Office Buddy personally saw the beauty of this church when they visited it. We had to drop this from our list because (1) it is far away because we both work in Metro Manila, (2) I heard that it is very expensive as wedding venue, and (3) the queue is very long and it should be booked one year before the wedding day to get the desired date.

Read more information about Calaruega or Caleruega at BridalBook.Ph.

San Agustin Church

Interior of San Agustin Church.

This is another popular church for weddings. It's altar and ceiling are beautiful. This church is also full of history and it is located inside Intramuros. Another plus point is its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We attended a Sunday mass at this church and also made a sort of “ocular inspection”. I personally liked this church. Unfortunately, we didn't chose this church because we think that it is also expensive. Also, the reception venues in its vicinity (and those inside Intramuros) are expensive as well.

Please read my post about San Agustin Church for more photos and info. You may also visit the San Agustin Church website. Average Jane had her wedding in San Agustin Church. You may visit her blog and ask her about her wedding experience in San Agustin Church.

St. Peter's Church 

This is a big church located along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. It is dedicated to the Apostle Peter and bears the weird name “Shrine of Leaders”.

I witnessed one wedding in this church. The priest that officiated that wedding gave a good homily. The wedding ceremony went well. I will talk about St. Peter's Church in next post.

I considered St. Peter's Church as our wedding venue because we attended a few masses here. Thus is has a sort of connection to us. I think that it didn't got the approval of my Beloved Wife that's why it didn't made the cut.

Binondo Church

I considered this church, which is dedicated to San Lorenzo Ruiz, because I frequent it. It is a big church and also has a beautiful altar. I know, however, that my Beloved Wife will not select it because the image of the crucified Christ is not at the center.

I observed that weddings are held in this church almost weekly. Most of those who wed here are of Chinese descent because it is located at Binondo Chinatown. This church is recommended for those who want to have their wedding officiated in the Chinese language. Binondo Church has priests that can speak Chinese.

Read more info and see more photos on my blog post about Binondo Church.

Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

The altar of the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

My Beloved Wife instantly like this church the moment she saw its altar in the Internet.The crucified image of Jesus Christ is at the center and the dove image of the Holy Spirit is at the top. In short, this is the church that we  chose for our wedding.

This church, which is dedicated to St. Therese, is starting to become a popular venue for wedding. It is very big and can hold hundred of visitors. Some rich and famous people got married in this church. I heard from our florist that President Gloria attended a wedding in this church as ninang.

This church is also expensive. My Beloved Wife still want to get married in this church despite of that. Good thing that we chose this church. Reverend Smith, one of the admin of the shrine, was very helpful. A priest also helped us during the wedding ceremony even if he is not the one who will officiate it. Read more of our experiences by reading my post about the Shrine of St. Therese.

If you want to know more about weddings in the Shrine of St. Therese, please visit their website.

Hunting for the “perfect” wedding church is both challenging and fun but one thing you must not forget is the spiritual aspect of your hunt. The church is not an accessory but should be the centerpiece to your wedding. The wedding ceremony in the church is more important than the reception that will come after. This where the union of husband and wife is made holy and blessed by the Lord.
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First Date at Mann Hann

There’s a lot of changes when one gets married. It is the period of settling down and raising a family. But these changes don’t mean that husband and wife should stop dating. That’s why we went to our very first date as married couple for our wedding monthsary.

We went to Mann Hann, located at the underground floor of SM Megamall.

Mann Hann is a restaurant that offers Chinese delicacies. Their menu lists noodles, tea, Chinese style rice, and more. We selected fried squid (285 Pesos), Chami (285 Pesos), and garlic rice (160 Pesos). We ordered fresh fruit shakes (95 pesos per glass) for our drinks.

Mannang is another restaurant located beside Mann Hann. We were informed that Mannang is the “sister restaurant” of Mann Hann. That’s why customers can order Mannang’s food at Mann Hann. Mannang offers Filipino dishes.

Our food came after waiting for about 15 minutes. The garlic rice reached our table first.

Than followed by the fried squid...

...and then the chami noodles.

Our fresh fruit shake were pineapple and watermelon flavor.

My Beloved Wife (MBW) was surprised when she saw the chami. What she wanted was a noodle dish that is dry. We thought that chami is dry.  What my wife actually wanted was bihon. But we enjoyed eating chami, nonetheless.

The star dish of the evening was the sauce of the bagoong isda (fish paste). MBW liked it so much that she wanted to ask for more and then bring it home. The sauce is the dip for the fried squid, which we agreed to be a very good combination.

The dishes that we ordered were good for 3 persons. The food was so plenty that my stomach almost burst, especially that I had to eat most of the garlic rice since MBW don’t eat much and I’m sure that that rice will go to my already bulging belly. We took home the leftover chami and that we reheated the next morning for breakfast.

We enjoyed our first date at Mann Hann. Their food tastes good and their people are courteous. And yes, a waiter took our photo. :-)