Visita Iglesia: Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth, & The Life (SM MoA)

In the midst of the busy shopping district of the SM Mall of Asia stands a refuge for tired shoppers. This place is no other than the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

This church always catch my attention whenever we go to SM Mall of Asia. It seems to be out of place because of the shopping complexes around it.

I only got the chance to enter the church after attending a convention at the nearby SMX Convention Center. I instantly fell in love with the its altar that features the scene where the young Jesus was found in the temple after he went missing for three days.

It was the first time that I saw an altar that features the scene where the distraught Mary found the missing Jesus.

I like the way this church was constructed because it retained the traditional look of a Catholic church despite it being in the midst of modern buildings. However, SM MoA’s church is not ornately decorated because it sticked to simplicity. The church’s simple-looking door is the proof of this.

It doesn’t mean that the church doesn't have a tinge of modernism because the tabernacle was placed at the side.

The tabernacle holds the Hosts, which is the Body of Christ Himself. Thus, the tabernacle should be placed at the center.

One thing that caught my attention is this sign:

I guess that cell-fishness is also rampant in this church. I have seen this attitude in the many churches that I visited. Many churchgoers couldn’t put down their phone for a while and put their full attention to the Holy Mass. They no longer respect God.

Outside SM MoA’s church are statues of Saint Pope John Paul II…

...and Cardinal Sin, who was instrumental in the fall of Marcos Dictatorship.

It is good that the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life was built within the SM Mall of Asia Complex. It gives the shoppers and tired mall employees somewhere to go for refuge, for prayers, and the much needed space for them to commune with God.

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Holy Mass is celebrated in the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life every Wednesday at 5 PM and 6:30 PM; every Sunday at 9 AM, 10:30 AM, 5:30 PM, and 7 PM; every Saturday (anticipated mass) at 5:30 PM; and other days at 6 PM.

For weddings, couples must submit their application and complete documents at least two months prior to the date of wedding. For baptism, application must be filed at least two weeks before the date of baptism.

If you are interested in having a baptism for your child in this church, I suggest that you read Maggie's experience for his son's baptism in SM MoA's Church.  

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Wedding Prep: SM MoA's The Venue

My Beloved and I are starting to get busy for our wedding preparations. We already booked the church (located somewhere in Pasay) and the photographer/videographer. We also did our first visit to Divisoria to hunt for a good but affordable seamstress for her gown, my suit and the entourage's attire. We found one very eager seamstress but we still didn't book her yet. We still want to scour the Divisoria for a better deal.

Another thing we worry about is in finding the venue for our reception. I read in some wedding sites that the bulk of wedding budget goes to the reception expenses that include reception venue, food and miscellaneous items like lights and music.

Our search for the reception venue brought us to The Venue, located within the Two E-com Center of SM Mall of Asia (MoA) complex.

(Source: SM Land website)

My Beloved wanted to check The Venue out because she liked its brown stairs going up the Prism Plaza. I believe that she plans to have our photos taken, together with our families and friends, on those stairs.

(Source: Greenhushbie19)

The fountain on Prism Plaza is good for photos too.

(Source: Philippine Wedding Scenes)

The stairs and the fountains are good but the best view that The Venue offers is the famed Manila Sunset. SM MoA was strategically placed to have a very good view of the setting sun.

The Venue offers two halls for rent. Hall 1 can accommodate 180 guests (banquet arrangement) while Hall 2 can accommodate 100 guests (banquet arrangement).

(Source: Mix Meetings)

It was our first time to inquire for our wedding venue and my jaw dropped when I heard the prices. The Venue's marketing staff told us that the weekend rates for Hall 1 is 39,200 pesos and for Hall 2 is 33,000. The rates already include taxes.

That's not the end of it. I still have to pay 20,000 pesos as security deposit. Sound system and other add-ons are not included in the rates.  We have to pay 5,500 pesos to have the basic sound system.

The Venue also recommends us to hire one of their accredited caterers. We may hire non-accredited caterers but we must pay the venue corkage fee of 20% of the total catering price.

The location of the venue is truly great because it offers a great view of Manila Bay. The bad news is that The Venue admin prohibit anyone, who wants to have a good view of the sea, to step on their lawn.

I was shocked with the cost of renting a venue for the reception of the wedding. Actually, I'm shocked of the cost of everything.

Young couples are complaining that it is expensive to get married nowadays. I agree. I experienced it firsthand.

My Beloved and I know that we don't need an expensive wedding. What we need is the Sacrament of Matrimony. Other aspects of our wedding, aside from the ceremony in the church, are just add-ons and not really needed. That is why I like what I read from an invitation card sent to me by Ate Diana:

“The reception will be a simple lunch plus a toast and a couple of songs. It will be short and sweet – no fuss no frills! We want the wedding ceremony to be the highlight of the occasion. Also, we're sure that we'd all be quite tired by then, so we hope to give everyone a chance to rest as soon as possible.”

This is in the invitation card of Ate Diana's friend. I like it because it convinced me more to make our wedding as simple as we could. I believe that we could have a wedding that is not expensive but classy.

It is very unlikely that we choose The Venue as the reception for our wedding so our search is still on.

~ ADDENDUM ~

Contact Details for SM MoA's The Venue

The Venue can be contacted through the following means:

Telephone No: (02) 857-0100
Cellular Nos: 09174573232 / 09174573234
Email: thevenueprismplaza@gmail.com