Little Baguio, Philippines, June 15, 2021
Photo: phvieparchy.org
A series of catastrophic earthquakes rocked the Filipino island of Mindanao in late 2019, leaving several Orthodox churches damaged, in addition to the unfortunate human casualties.
Now, a year and a half later, the restoration of the Church of St. Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles in Little Baguio has been completed, reports the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The church survived the earthquakes, but was badly damaged. There were large cracks all the way through the supporting pillars and walls, and the concrete cross on top the church broke.
However, with the help of donors from Russia and elsewhere, it was possible to repair the damage and strengthen the structure of the church with external reinforcement.
Photo: phvieparchy.org
“According to the architect who supervised the work, the church is now ready to endure many such earthquakes. But we, of course, pray that the Lord will save the Philippine land from disasters,” reads the diocese’s report.
According to the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Makalangot, which was under construction, was also badly damaged. The structure was then strengthened and, in the end, the church was completed and consecrated.
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